State Fares Well in Education Report

The Center on Education Policy in Washington, D.C. today issued a report showing educational improvement in all 50 states. The center, an independent advocate for public education funded entirely by charitable foundations, studies whether educational reforms are working.

CEP President Jack Jennings says Pennsylvania shows significant increases in achievement at all levels, but especially in elementary and middle schools--a pattern true across the country. Everyone needs to work on improving high schools.

No Child Left Behind, the federal accountability law, requires all states to raise all students to a “proficient” level by 2014, but each state establishes its own standard and its own tests, so Jennings says it’s impossible to compare one state to another.

The study shows no evidence that the push to raise all students’ achievement is hurting those at the bottom or the top.

Today's report is on their website: www.cep-dc.org. Within a month, the CEP will issue a report with state statistics by race, poverty, disability, etc.