This morning, Education Week (EdWeek) released its annual special report Quality Counts 2011, which included its annual State of the States report card. Maryland once again earned top honors with a B plus while the nation as a whole received a C. The report card shows that states have been very active in easing the transition for students from high school to college by defining college readiness. However, defining such goals for achievement at the end of high school has yet to significantly improve student achievement.

Here are some of the key findings from this year’s report card:

Summative Grades

How did the nation as a whole and each individual state perform across all policy and performance areas?

• Overall, the nation received a grade of a C across all policy and performance areas, which remained the same as a year ago.
• Maryland earned the highest grade (B plus) for the third consecutive year, followed by New York and Massachusetts who both earned a B. Nine states earned a B minus.
  • The vast majority of states earned grades between a C plus and C minus.
  • No states received an F, but Nebraska, South Dakota and the District of Columbia each earned a D plus.

Chance for Success

What are the odds that the average child who grows up in a particular state will do as well as the average child in the top-ranked state, at each stage of his or her educational life? (the early childhood years, participation and performance in formal education, and educational attainment and workforce outcomes during adulthood)

• Massachusetts ranked first for the fourth consecutive year by being the only state to receive an A, while once again Connecticut, New Hampshire, and New Jersey each received an A minus. 
  • This means that children in Massachusetts have the best chance of achieving positive life outcomes.
• On the other hand, children in Nevada and New Mexico have the least chance of achieving positive life outcomes by earning a D and D plus, respectively.
• The nation as a whole earned a C plus.

K-12 Achievement

How do states compare on the academic achievement of their students in elementary through high school?

• Overall, our nation’s schools received a D plus in the academic preparation of our school children.
  • The grade is based on the academic status and growth over time in math and reading scores, narrowing of poverty-based achievement gaps, as well as high school graduation rates and the performance on the advanced placement test.
• Once again Massachusetts received the highest grade with a B, although Maryland and New Jersey performed nearly as well by earning a B minus.
• New Mexico, Louisiana West Virginia, Mississippi, and the District of Columbia all received failing marks.

Transition and Alignment

How do states compare on implementing various education policies to better coordinate the connections between K-12 schooling and other segments of the education pipeline such as early-childhood education, college readiness, and links to the world of work?

• Arkansas, Maryland, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia are leaders in ensuring students are ready to move up the education ladder, earning A’s for their policy work in this area.
  • Each of these states have implemented at least 12 of 14 alignment policies tracked by EdWeek.
• In contrast, Montana and South Dakota have implemented just three such policies, earning them a D minus, while Nebraska earned an F for implementing just two policies.
• Although the nation as a whole earned just a C plus, 33 states have defined college readiness, which is an increase of 13 states since 2009. 

School Finance

How much do states spend on their schools? Is the spending distributed equitably?

• Although no state received a failing grade, Wyoming was the only state to receive an A minus for adequately funding its schools.
  • On the other hand, five states — Idaho, Mississippi, Nevada, Tennessee, and Utah received grades of D or D minus.
• As a whole, the nation received a C on funding education. However, on average the nation spends more money on wealthier school districts than poorer districts nationwide.
  • Wyoming, New Jersey, Alaska, Kansas, Nebraska, Utah, and Nevada are the only states to spend as much or more on their poorer districts than their wealthier counterparts.
  • On average, across the nation over $4,000 more is spent per-pupil in each state’s wealthiest districts than in their poorest districts.
• When adjusting for regional cost differences, the U.S. spends on average $11,223 per pupil.
  • This ranges from $17,114 (adjusted for regional cost differences) in Wyoming to $6,525 in Utah.

–Jim Hull