Wake up, Maryland! Your schools aren't No. 1

Maryland leadership boasts the state’s education system is No. 1, a subjective assessment made by a news magazine, based on factors entirely unrelated to student outcomes, such as money spent and teacher education. The Nation’s Report Card this month revealed that average proficiency is only 50 percent in math and reading — hardly an achievement. Even the federal government knows Maryland isn’t No. 1. Last month, the state’s application for charter school funding was rejected because its law is not strong enough.

Federal funds are competitively awarded to states to approve quality charters. Maryland has the seventh-weakest charter school law in the United States, earning it a grade of D.