Which state has the best education and the worst education? (neighborhoods, public schools)

[er5603an]

Which state has the best education and the worst education.
thanks.

[Bydand]

Too broad to define an entire states education system. It has been tried here before several times, and the answer is ALWAYS the same. Each and every state has some REALLY great schools, some REALLY crappy schools and a whole lot of middle of the road schools.

[th3vault]

According to this: Smartest State 2006-2007

Best education: Northeast Region.

Worst Education: Southwest Region.

[radraja]

Originally Posted by Bydand

Too broad to define an entire states education system. It has been tried here before several times, and the answer is ALWAYS the same. Each and every state has some REALLY great schools, some REALLY crappy schools and a whole lot of middle of the road schools.

Yep. It's a lot more accurate to judge by neighborhood.

Example: NV (where I live right now) is ranked as one of the worst states for education. BUT, we do have a number of excellent, top-rate schools. It just varies by neighborhood. The good neighborhoods have good, competitive schools. The bad neighborhoods have crappy schools. Same as anywhere else.

Similarly, even in the top-ranked states, there are plenty of awful schools in addition to good schools.

Bottom line: Live where ever you want, just be sure to pick a neighborhood with good schools. That simple.

[The Dissenter]

Originally Posted by er5603an

Which state has the best education and the worst education.
thanks.

Virginia public schools always rank high and are probably the best public schools in the South. Everyone will try to tell you this applies to only Northern VA but take it from someone who went through 4th to 10th grade in Southern VA public schools; most of non- NoVA Virginia has good schools. In fact Virginia Beach, VA (Southeastern VA) probably has one of the top public school systems as far as large cities go.

The posters who insist on neighborhood schools have a point though. Virginia has excellent districts like York County, and Loudoun County, some good like Prince William County and Chesapeake City, some so-so like Newport News and Hampton, some underachieving like Alexandria City and Norfolk City, and some straight up bad like Richmond City.

[Daytonnatian]

Generally, most regard Iowa as the best and Kentucky or W. Virginia as the worst.

[TB Fla]

Florida's can be a lot better. There are a lot of great schools and educators, but the state's funding for education is lacking.

[Thomas R.]

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Although those are more "which states are the best educated." In some of these many might be educated out of state.

I think the Northeast and Northern Plains are deemed to do fairly well in schools. Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Vermont have high graduation rates with high test scores going by my Almanac.

[Jane72]

Originally Posted by er5603an

Which state has the best education and the worst education.
thanks.

There are studies, and probably government data available on the web, but I'm feeling too lazy to look it up just now.
I'm gonna guess best=Massachusetts (sp?), worst=Arkansas.

Statistically speaking, the Northeast/ New England tends to score the highest in studies about education, and the mid- and deep south tends to score poorly.

[Rachael84]

But the state does impact education a lot, even if a school is good. The state gives the schools the money, creates the standards and sometimes the curriculum. Where I teach in the south Bronx uses the same standards as schools on Long Island.