The Greenville News from Greenville, South Carolina • Page E3

THE GREENVILLE NEWS II 3E OTHER OICES ecently, given several lectures on American oreign policy. often a sked be the best next resident in that area. I resist making recommendations because as a political scientist my charge is to be critically uxtaposed to aspirants of ower and not to issue end orsements. What I can give is alist of rules that the next president should follow for a successful and for the A merican people beneficial foreign policy. irst, the next president must be a realist, not an idealist.

Most importantly, this means conducting a careful analysis of what our vital interests actually are, and then ringing our commitments into alignment with these interests. his has become difficult because liberal interventionists and neoconservatives alike have blurred our understand- i ng of the national interest. led us to believe that A merica should be spreading democracy and engaging in nation-building. To be sure, democracies are good, but not our task to convert other countries. That this can get us into major trouble should by now be evident to everyone.

Second, the next president ust realize that not only we, ut also other states, have ecurity concerns and interests. Russia is a case in point. The American audience was taken aback by inter- entionism in Georgia and the kraine. But from erspective, trying to keep NATOaway from his backyard. what we would have done and in fact, hat we did through the Monroe Doctrine.

This is how intern ational politics works and our president will be well-advised to understand this, including in dealings with China. Third, the next president must recognize both the util- i ties and the futilities of power. As Americans we like to be- ieve in the omnipotence of American military power. Yet, at the latest, Vietnam should have taught us that this is alse. More recent experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq are urther testimony.

Even a preponderance of military power does not easily translate into victory and its exercise can get us into major trouble. Military power must remain an essential part of our statecraft, ut our leaders must understand that it has to be used uch more prudently. Fourth, the next president must be willing to negotiate with states we like. For President Ronald Reagan, the Soviet Union was the evil empire, yet he engaged with Mikhail Gorbachev and together they ended the cold war. In ore recent years, however, eaders are fond of saying speak to This a strategy, but an attitude and a costly one at that.

In 2003, for example, this response made miss a major Iranian diplo- atic overture to resolve any isputes and therewith build a strategically vital relationship in the Middle East. Fifth, the next president ust not shy away from hard questions. International terror- i sm comes not out of nowhere and some of our foreign policies might indeed be related to it. The eminent historian Ernest May worked with the and about the report he said later that it the question whether American policies and actions fed the anger that manifested itself on September The commissioners elieved that American foreign policy was too contro- ersial to be discussed compromised our commitment to set forth the full Yet, we need the full story. We have a guarantee that our foreign policies are always good or virtuous.

Asking hard questions will allow us to learn from past mistakes. here are other rules the ext president should follow, uch as not espousing simplistic understandings of international politics in which good is pitted against evil, and in hich we are said to live in a lash of civilizations. Also the ext president should not spread undue fear. Together with the hubris that our leaders tend to espouse, this can ead to foreign policy disasters. ow you have it a list of foreign policy rules.

Any international relations scholar a would give you a similar list. I feel pretty confident in it. Will our next resident follow all, or at least most of them? Frankly I have ore confidence in engaged citizens than in politicians. What I always discover in my lectures is that these citizens ave a lot of common sense, especially when it is appealed o. So it is up to you and me to hold our politicians to these rules.

That's what a democracy is about, isn't it? Five suggestions for the next U.S. president AKAN MALICI GUEST COLUMNIST Dr. Akan Malici teaches at Furman University. His specialization is in interna- ional relations and he is the author of various books on eace and conflict. He can contacted at akan.ma- UESTCOLUMN nce again budget time i South Carolina.

Gov. Nikki Haley has put forth her budget plan featuring, of ourse, sizable tax cuts without adequately fixing major prob- ems facing the state. The leg- i slators are gathering to reflect on the propos- a and produce their own proposals. Unfortunately for South Carolinians neither ranch of government is likely to make substantial progress on two of the key prob- ems highways and roads, and education while they are focused on tax cuts. I is understandable that South Carolinians are easily lured by tax cuts even though those with higher incomes will be the biggest beneficiaries.

South Carolinians face an economy that is not working for them when compared with other states. Although South arolinians rank in the top 40 percent of states when it comes to surveying their well- being, a deeper assessment of he data reveals that South Carolinians are far more stressed by their financial situation, with a rank of 39 a mong the 50 states. There is good reason for this financial stress. A key measure of a standard of living, real GDP per capita, indicates that outh Carolina falls below the op 47 states and beats out only Idaho and Mississippi. Moreo ver, for the last decade or so, South Carolina has been falling further behind the level of real DP per capita for the nation as a whole.

Many other indicators of the economic and ocial status of South Carolina reveal that the state generally falls in the bottom 20 percent the states. It is no wonder South Carolinians are stressed financially. Clearly, the highways and roads must be fixed if the economy is to thrive. Perhaps the warning issued by the chairman of Michelin North America that Michelin would eek to expand its operations outside of South Carolina if the roads were not fixed will snap the governor and legislators i nto action. Furthermore, the American Society of Engineers estimates that it costs motor- ists a little over $306 yearly due to the condition of the oads.

But, it is not just the roads. South Carolina needs to improve its educational system; i ts goal of providing a adequate for its students is not sufficient in competitive world conomy. Further, the South Carolina Supreme rulingthat the government ust do more to remedy the funding inequities should also a call to action. Here again ata from the National Education Associationcomparing tates reveal that for current expenditures per student in 2013-2014 South Carolina anked 34th among states and its spending was about 83 percent of the national average. oreover, the Annie E.

Casey Foundation which ranksstates based on several factors inc luding reading and math proficiency ranked South Carolina 43rd in education. There are good reasons for South Carolina to improve the education quality of its K-12 program. First, economic mobility in part relates to education and the gap in education etween high- and low-income children. A reportfrom the American Enterprise Institute provides a measure of econom- i mobility in which South Carolina is ranked 49th. Second, researchfrom economists supported by the National ureau of Economic Research finds that by raising the quality of its educational outcomes outh Carolina could achieve important gains to it gross omestic output (GDP).

orld leaders recently met in Davos, Switzerland, to disc uss the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Advances in computers, software, artificial i ntelligence, robotics and more portend many wonderful new products and services for cons umers but also offer new challenges for workers in the 21st century as technological apabilities outpace those of many workers. Gov. Haley should stop trying to prove her tax cutting credentials to the national Republican Party and start demonstrating to the American people that she can improve the lives of the citizens of her tate by providing them with the educational tools they will need to be relevant in the new industrial revolution. Perhaps hen she might be worthy of a national office.

South Carolina needs to set fiscal priorities Robert Arden is an econom- i cs professor at Furman niversity. His email address is robert.arden@ furman.edu. UESTCOLUMN ever doubt that middle school students are eager to learn. They love to create and they make us proud. We are responsible as educators to help students be successful.

That includes helping them rebound from failure or i mprove on academic perform ance that is less than their est. Most importantly, we cannot let students give up on themselves and their learning. For those reasons, middle schools in Greenville County are taking a fresh approach to grading that provides students with opportunities to improve heir grades on assignments that receive a score lower than 61, the new grading floor, or an NHI for assignments not handed in. Most middle schools have already successfully implemented the grading practice, while other schools are in progress. Implementation for all GCS middle schools is effective with the 2016-17 school year.

Why the change? A single low failing score on a 100-point grading scale can have a dis- roportionate impact on a grade and lead to disengagement from his studies. The attitude can be devastating. In contrast, agrade floored at 61for an assignment or test leaves the door open to repair a bad decision or missed opportunity; a chance to get back on track. ome students need more time, i nstruction, encouragement a accountability. When low scores indicate academic struggle, we provide timely and targeted support for students and then reassess before assigning a final grade.

Those few students who cheat are held accountable for their ehavior per the Student Discipline Code and are required to demonstrate their learning by completing an alternate assignment. The grading floor and related efforts to support students ensure that a report card grade accurately reflects a knowledge and is not distorted by behavior or temporary circumstances. In the traditional grading scale, a single failing score in the 0 60 range arries a disproportionate weight when all scores are averaged for a report card grade. For example, if a student scores 85-87-87-86 and then receives a zero on an assignment of equal weight, the average drops to 69, an F. Posting a 61in place of the zero provides an average of 81.2, a more accurate overall reflection of what the student knows and can do.

The grading floor allows students who make an effort to do their work to pull their grades. Students who make little or no effort to do their work are addressed through interventions, which can include lunch time work makeup sessions, parent conferences, school counseling, after-school study hall and in-school suspension. be clear that no stud ent, parent or teacher should satisfied with a grade of 61. A 61or NHI for an assignment not handed in is an initial entry in the grade book that means, work is not completed A student must put forth additional effort to show what he has learned. When the student completes the work or i mproves his score, the grade is updated, sometimes with a late penalty.

If the student does not make up or improve the work, the grade remains a 61 (F), 9 points below passing. We are pleased to share that the new grading practice is working! More students are completing their assignments because they are held accountable to do their work instead of just accepting a zero. We take great pride in the renewed efforts of many of our students ho previously gave up when faced with personal challenges that impacted their work. Today, students are working harder and, though not every first attempt is stellar, they are taking advantage of additional opportunities that encourage self-direction, perseverance, and a strong work ethic. iddle school students want do well in school and grad- i ng practices must both motivate effort and provide hope in case of a failing score or two.

The important learning partnership between teachers and students requires educators to work with all students, including the most reluctant, ntil they take full responsibility for their learning. By posting grades that appropriately reflect learning and holding each student accountable to do their work, we can provide every student with the tools to learn and be successful. In addition, our demand to back in here and show me what you carries an even stronger message that believe in Grading policy promotes success KAREN KAPP and BOB PALMER GUEST COLUMNISTS Karen Kapp is principal of evier Middle School and ob Palmer is principal of Greenville Middle Academy. hey write on behalf of Greenville County Schools middle school Principals. UESTCOLUMN clear purposes? First, ecause several cases hang in the balance.

Second, payback. I 2007, some 18 months before President George W. term was up, Demo- ratic Sen. Chuck Schumer recommended that the Senate confirm any Bush nominee to the Supreme Court, under extraordinary And, Republicans will never forgive Demo crats for the circus-like confirmation hearings of Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas. ven understanding these reasons, the GOP is playing ith fire.

Is this really a precedent they wish to set? And, what if the next president is illary Clinton or Bernie Sanders? he calculation, apparently, is that the greater risk lies in nominat- i ng a reasonably moderate liberal who passes all the usual ests that Republicans rationally block. All things considered, it ay seem wiser to avoid the advise-and-consent process, ut hypocrisy takes no prisoners. You attach yourself to originalist virtues a nd ignore the rule of law he so passionately defended. a dvice might be his own reflections on being a good and faithful judge: You have to resign yourself to the fact that not al- ays going to like the conclusions you SCALIA Continued from Page 2E.