http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf08301/

2: Well, in order to address this conclusively I’m going to need to understand the causes a little better. I can make some guesses, maybe, but should probably reserve comment until I KNOW what I’m talking about. I will pledge that my administration will make studying this issue a priority.

I don’t suppose the report you’re referring to addresses the root causes?

1) How are you going to handle places like Kansas and their take on “evolution?”

2) How will you address the current “brain drain” situation? I can’t seem to find the report that came out a few weeks ago, but the conclusion was basically this: The proportion of Americans getting degrees in science related fields has been dropping. The trend is reversed for students from other countries.

The second one is vague enough that you could say you’ve already answered it, but I’m looking for more specifics.

So I guess you’d say we’ll rely on a battery of iterative, operational measures.

You want me to be the principal horse in this parade? Pay me. (I know; it’s a detail for later …)

I think I understand your point about digging down into minutiae, but I also believe that the devil is in the details. I’m one of those who, when faced with an idea at 50,000 feet, has to go down to at least 10,000 feet to get a better look before commiting to the very high level view.

Just how I am.

Here’s your first problem. What if Little Jimmy tests better than a Wal-Mart level track, but the store needs people to fill those slots in order to keep the commerce flowing? What happens then? Let Jimmy go and start bringing in new people who test more “rightfully” for their circumstances? Or will the books get cooked to keep Jimmy where he is?

Any system is ripe for abuse, so the best test of your theory is how it’ll handle circumstances when it breaks.

Now, add in a better and better supported teaching force and a dramatically re-envisioned administrative structure that puts more resources at the teacher’s disposal. What I expect will emerge is a far stronger ability to track students according to their interests and capabilities, and direct qualitative evaluation by teachers is going to be a part of that.

Tracking won’t be a permanent captive process, by the way. Little Jimmy might get on the Wal*Mart track and after a couple of years his teachers conclude that he needs to be involved in something more worthy of his late-blooming abilities. Great – there’s mobility built in. Same goes for those who get tracked too high or into the wrong emphasis.

If you conclude that I’m counting heavily on teachers, you’re onto something….

I’ll be sure to come back when you get into the nuts-and-bolts of the proposal. I know it’s not fair to ask a lot of what is, essentially, a mock presidential campaign, but if you’re going to put your policy out there, I’m gonna do all I can to understand it.