Maryland’s public school system is No. 1 in the nation and is followed closely by fourth-place Virginia, according to an annual report card released today by Education Week.
he District’s schools were rated last in the survey, though D.C. Chancellor Michelle Rhee called that an unfair comparison of city schools with statewide systems.
“We’re doing the right thing,” said Nancy Grasmick, superintendent of the Maryland State Department of Education, adding that her office was celebrating after confirming the news on Tuesday.
Overall, Maryland scored an 84.7 based on six categories from students’ “chance for success” to K-12 achievement and school finance. Virginia scored an 83.2, while the District of Columbia received the lowest score in the nation at 68.3.
“It’s a bit tough to compare a city — D.C. — to states. Apples to oranges,” said Rhee. “That said, it’s clear from all of the data that we have a long way to go before we can say we’re serving our children well.”
The nation overall scored a disappointing 76.2, according to the researchers who spent one year on this 13th annual report.
“The nation and most states have failed to improve the opportunities for students to succeed throughout their lives,” the release said.
But for Grasmick, the results are an opportunity to go into Maryland’s upcoming legislative session with fodder for supporting her multibillion-dollar public schools in a time of dire budget figures statewide.
“High quality education is the best economic development there can be,” Grasmick said. “It’s the pipeline to the work force, and it’s the reason people gravitate to this state.”
The study also included a special report on the status of English-language learners. It found that more than 80 percent of those students are making progress toward English proficiency in Maryland, and nearly 90 percent in Virginia – though the Virginia data was imperfect. About 70 percent of the District’s growing number of English learners are doing the same.
