Chamber of Commerce grades states' schools. How did yours do?
-
Stacy Teicher Khadaroo Staff writer
The US Chamber of Commerce Foundation released a report Thursday offering a business lens on educational progress in each state.
The 鈥淟eaders & Laggards鈥� report gives each state a letter grade on 11 factors ranging from international competitiveness to the return on investment for education spending.
While noting some progress 鈥� with students in every state improving in math and reading in recent years 鈥� the report presses states to boost students鈥� ability to meet rising benchmarks for preparing for college and careers.
鈥淏usiness has a huge stake in education, and therefore we must have a voice in the debate,鈥� said John McKernan, president of the foundation, at an event releasing the report in Washington. 鈥淲ithout a steady flow of talent, we can鈥檛 drive economic growth, we can鈥檛 propel innovation, we can鈥檛 advance American competitiveness or create opportunities for American workers.鈥�
The states did not receive a composite grade in the report, but seven states earned at least four As: Colorado, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Vermont each earned four; Minnesota earned five; Massachusetts six.
鈥淛ust like every other [education] report card, organizations choose the indicators that reflect the values of that organization 鈥� and that may not be the same indicators a parent would use to evaluate their schools,鈥� says Jim Hull, senior policy analyst for聽the National School Boards Association鈥檚 Center for Public Education.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 most useful is it gives the states the ability to see how they compare鈥� and how they may want to improve, he says.
As part of its measure of 鈥減ostsecondary and workforce readiness,鈥� for instance, the report looks at what percentage of high school graduates passed a College Board Advanced Placement exam with a score of 3 or higher. In Connecticut, Maryland, and Virginia, nearly 30 percent did, while in Louisiana and Mississippi, 5 percent or less did. The national average was 20 percent.
鈥淎merican students are a long way from being internationally competitive,鈥� the report notes.
To grade states on this factor, it used student scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) compared with international benchmarks; passage rates on AP exams in science, technology, engineering, and math; and passage rates on AP foreign language exams.
The highest passage rate on foreign language was in California, at 9 percent. The highest rate on STEM exams was in Massachusetts, at 16 percent.
Some of the categories are driven by the Chamber鈥檚 support for certain approaches to education reform. Ten states earned an A on parental choice, based on state policies and on the percentage of students that attend charter schools or private schools paid for by their families or by government vouchers. (The top 10 states earned an A.)
One category particularly encourages a businesslike perspective: Return on investment. The amount spent on education was compared with a NAEP score index and adjusted for cost of living. Again, the top 10 states earned As.
Return on investment is important to consider, but the report鈥檚 measure 鈥渋s very limited in usefulness,鈥� says Mr. Hull of the school boards association. 鈥淚t is too simplistic because it really doesn鈥檛 account for the difference in the type of students each state enrolls in their public schools.鈥� States with some of the lowest-performing students may have to spend more to accelerate gains, he says.
Among the other measures in the report are the quality of a state鈥檚 teaching force (based on a reform group鈥檚 index), fiscal responsibility (based on pension funding), and student access to high-quality computer-based instruction.
To see your state鈥檚 grades on the 鈥淟eaders & Laggards鈥� report go .
