Louisiana Schools Rank 44th In The Nation

If consistency was the goal then Louisiana schools are right on track. Consistency is not the goal so that means that Louisiana schools are far from where you and I would want or expect them to be in comparison to the other 50 states.

According to the latest report by Education Week Magazine Louisiana schools earned a D+ grade. This puts the state's ranking slightly  higher than it was one year ago. This means our state's schools are consistently under performing.

The reports findings are based on several factors including classroom performance and how schools are financed. It was the financial aspect of the report that saw the state actually drop in comparison to other states.

It's score fell from a 74.6 last year to a 72. 9 this year.

That's what Holly Yetcick, Director of the Education Week Research Center had to say to the Louisiana Radio Network.  She did say there were some positive signs for the state in this year's report. That shining spot was among fourth graders and their reading ability.

They did have quite good gains in that grade level and that subject, 11.5 percentage points but there current status is pretty low.

According to the Education Week Report, Louisiana ranked higher than Arizona, Alabama, Oklahoma, Idaho, New Mexico, Mississippi, and Nevada in the Quality Counts report. 

The State Department of Education responded to the Education Week Magazine report this way.

It’s important to point out in the K-12 Achievement grade for Louisiana, we improved at a rate remarkably higher than the nation as a whole.

In the subcategories of Status, Change, and Equity, Louisiana saw gains more than double the nation.

All of this points to the progress Louisiana students are making, but there is still a long way to go. Now is the time to continue our statewide focus on raising expectations and improving learning.