One of the things of which I am proudest is the effort we put in place when I was on the School Board to encourage more students to take Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses and examinations by eliminating barriers, training teachers and financing the exam costs. 

It was a genuine bi-partisan effort, and anyone on the Board at that time can take a good part of the credit for the rising numbers of students taking the exam.  Passing those tests can mean college credit for students; more importantly, taking those courses is terrific “practice” for the rigors of college and for challenging students to do their best.  Interestingly, no one ever complains about “teaching to those tests.”

But every action has an unintended consequence.  In this case, a number of schools have started reducing the availability of “Honors” courses – those that are not quite as challenging as AP course, but more challenging than the “regular” course. 

I think that’s wrong.  It’s an example of “kids in the middle” getting short-changed, and I want to reverse that course.  If enrollment is high enough to sustain it, offering “Honors” courses in the core subjects does not cost the taxpayers more money – and I’ll work to keep those courses wherever possible.