By GLENN BRUNKOW
Pottawatomie County farmer and rancher

One of my favorite cartoons is a “Hagar the Horrible” panel. The picture shows Hagar with arrows stuck in his shield, his boat sinking, obviously having a bad day. He has his hands thrown back and is looking at the heavens and proclaims, “Why me?”

The next panel shows the skies above him open up and a voice say, “Why not!” I think back on that cartoon sometimes when it comes time to advocate for agriculture. Whether it is in D.C., Topeka or a fourth-grade classroom, many times I wonder, why me? Why can’t I just stay home and work on my farm and forget the rest of the world exists?

Truth be told, I suppose I could, but the reality is the days of keeping our noses to the grindstone, minding our own business and not worrying about what anyone else thinks are long gone. I don’t know if you have noticed, but things like social media allow everyone with an opinion and a keyboard to be an expert about agriculture.

That is why it is so important for us to be involved and to advocate for agriculture. We are the true experts, and every one of us pour our blood, sweat and tears into what we do. So, I will ask you this question. If not you, then who will tell our story? We all know that answer, and the alternative is one that should scare us to death.

That is also why it is so important to be active in Kansas Farm Bureau. Alone our voices can be heard, but it is a much greater challenge. Kansas Farm Bureau and, ultimately, American Farm Bureau allow for us to come together as farmers and ranchers to achieve a common goal. It is the power of the individual member to have influence that gives us our grassroots strength.

I know each of us are incredibly busy, and it is so hard to make that sacrifice to be gone from our farms and ranches. Let me assure you the sacrifice is well worth the pain. I truly believe the time I spend advocating for agriculture, whether it is telling our story to school kids or elected officials, is just as important as the time I spend in my tractor seat.

We must all take the time to tell our story. Each of us has one to tell and the public needs to hear it. The days of assuming everyone has ties to agriculture and understands what we do are gone. The public wants to like and trust us, but they need to hear our story from us directly.

The next time your phone rings or that email pops up with an opportunity to advocate for agriculture, I want you to answer the call and tell everyone about the great work we all do every day. We feed a hungry world while protecting the soil, air and water. Why you? Why not.

“Insight” is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.

More Kansas students will now qualify for admission at Emporia, Fort Hays, Pittsburg and Wichita State Universities. The more rigorous high school academic curriculum was jettisoned for an average high school grade point average (GPA) and a minimal score on the ACT. The rationale for lowering standards focuses on making the process simpler and increasing the number of students who go to college.

The ACT score remains the same as in prior standards. Required high school GPA is now 2.25, except for K-State (3.25) while the University of Kansas will require either an ACT score of 21 and a GPA of 3.25, or an ACT score of 24 and a GPA of 3.0.

The more rigorous Qualified Admissions (QA) high school curriculum, as well as being in the top third of your graduating class, was eliminated across all universities.

While nearly all KBOR discussion was focused on admissions to regents universities and comparisons with a few other state’s requirements, the major impact will be a drop in rigor of high school math and science curricula taught in Kansas high schools.

While I have been a severe critic of better-education-through-paperwork because qualified teachers and not written plans are the answer, Qualified Admissions (QA) standards that went into effect in 2001 were effective. QA caused an immediate shortage of science teachers. Any biology teacher who could add a chemistry or physics endorsement moved to teaching those courses that were mandated by QA. Those shortages continue today. QA also contributed to re-defining teacher licensure, elimination of home economics and shop classes as a “science,” and eliminated a watered down high school “general science” class.

QA also required four high school math courses (or ACT score) rather than three under KSDE requirements for a high school diploma. That fourth math requirement was not widely met. So the Kansas chief academic officers got an end run approved so students could take the fourth math at college. This was but one of many actions that diluted academic rigor in Kansas.

The regents recently forced higher education bachelors programs to reduce down to 120 credit hours. Civilization moves ahead in education requirements over the years (a medical doctor in the 1850s only required two years of college). So academic faculty had good reason to require more education. But the regents first requested and then demanded a reduction of bachelors degrees to 120 credit hours. If any other similar program in Kansas was just 120 hours, all must drop to that level.

This race to the bottom continued over many years as the regent’s committee on transfer and articulation pressured universities to accept transfer courses that had the same name but varied greatly in prerequisites and mode of delivery.
Now high school GPA will be critical. But there has no mention made about how high school GPA, while previously the best predictor of college success, has been rapidly and miraculously increasing, raising high school graduation rates from under 70 percent to over 85 percent, while scores on NAEP, SAT and ACT remain flat or fall. This “Lake Wobegone Effect” (where all children are above average) is making high school GPA less predictive.

The Board of Regents functions much like a corporate board. Unlike the Kansas State Board of Education, KBOR has not held open public forums for over a decade, an avenue where the impacts of QA on K–12 coursework and teacher training could have been discussed. And Kansas presidents and provosts appear more focused on sustaining tuition than defending academic rigor.

These Kansas actions mirror similar actions across other states where higher education bodies or legislatures are likewise lowering requirements to attend state colleges and reducing academic rigor. Many states have followed California in removing the college requirement for college algebra (except for math and science majors) because that course is a factor in many students not completing college. Some states are removing algebra from high school requirements for the same reason.

For decades, American families who host overseas K–12 students from Europe and Asia have noted how those visiting students are several grades ahead of U.S. students in math and science, and likewise how difficult it is for American students to survive at the same grade level in foreign schools. However, there has historically been more equivalency between American and foreign students at the university level, particularly when American creativity is pitted against rote memorization. However, No Child Left Behind teaching-to-the-test has reduced that American advantage at the university level.

Actions being taken by higher education governing bodies across the United States, primarily to feed more students into a university system now more reliant on tuition dollars, ensure that many future American students will lag behind foreign students at the collegiate level. International education conferences already see hallway discussions of concern about the value of the American undergraduate college degree from our non-selective public universities and online diploma mills.

Hopefully, with the Qualified Admissions curriculum gone, Kansas will not return to offering science credit for home economics. But this action does dismiss any need for chemistry and physics in the many small Kansas schools that barely offer a 1930s curriculum and should be consolidated. This regents’ action in Kansas is a symptom of America’s widespread educational race to the bottom.

John Richard Schrock is a professor at Emporia State University.

Dear USD 489 Board Members and Administration:

With respect to your right to make these decisions on behalf of all the citizens of the District which you represent, please consider the following regarding naming the buildings recently purchased by us.

The naming of a public building or improvement should serve at least two purposes: clearly identify the purpose and use of the building and encourage respect for the mission of your governmental subdivision.

In the case of the 2501 E. 13th building complex, the purpose and use of the facility is to house the early childhood education programs of the District. The opportunity to engender respect for the mission of giving our students an early and effective start in the lengthy education process is obvious — find someone who exemplifies that and put their name on it. Tell the public where it is.

Please refer to my earlier letters regarding this, and please recall that you asked the public for suggestions. To name the building complex the East 13th Street Kolb Early Childhood Education Center or some variation of that accomplishes all of the core purposes of naming the buildings.

Teachers, patrons, students, taxpayers, government leaders and the thousands of other people whose lives Emma Kolb affected in all-positive ways will appreciate knowing that this School District remembers its heroes and honors them.

This weekend is Hays High School Homecoming. Take a moment to ask the Classes of 1969, 1979, 1989, 1999 and others if they remember Emma Kolb. Ask your faculty if they have heard of her. She gave all of her adult life to the children of western Kansas and particularly Hays and I know of dozens of your current teachers who went into the profession at least partly because of her.

Adding 13th Street to the name will let the general public know where this place is.

When they enter the building they will see that you had the foresight and heart to name it after a teacher who devoted herself to early
childhood education. We will know that you listened to the people you asked to give you public input, which will help this District with its own credibility when it asks us to support new infrastructure and programs.

Respectfully,

John T. Bird
Lincoln School Class of 1960
Hays High School Class of 1966
Hays