Florida schools make top 10

The Quality Counts report gives Florida a B-, ranking it sixth in the nation for the quality of its education system. That?s ahead of the national grade of C+. Last year, Florida ranked 11th.

Florida schools are back in the top 10 in national rankings released Thursday by Education Week.

The Quality Counts report gives Florida a B-, ranking it sixth in the nation for the quality of its education system. That?s ahead of the national grade of C+. Last year, Florida ranked 11th.

Maryland scored the highest grade, followed by Massachusetts, New York, Virginia and Arkansas for the top five.

Some highlights from Florida?s report card: an A for accountability for quality; an F for spending; a C- for K-12 achievement, an A for early childhood education.

The results prompted Gov. Rick Scott and state educational leaders to boast that Florida?s education policies ? policies that have emphasized standardized test scores, teacher accountability, and encouraging charter schools ? are paying dividends.

In a statement, Florida Board of Education member Kathleen Shanahan said, ?Today?s 2013 Quality Counts report shows that the education reform policies of the past decade have created a system that will prepare our students for the global workforce of the future.?

In recent years, Florida has generally performed well in the annual rankings ? placing fifth in 2011, for example. That?s up from a 31st ranking in 2007.

But some measures of quality, such as high school graduation rates and school funding, have remained stubbornly low. In a conference call with reporters, interim Education Commissioner Pam Stewart took issue with school funding?s role in the ranking formula. Stewart described Florida?s education philosophy as ?what matters most is not how much we spend, but how we spend the dollars we allocate.?

For those who have criticized Florida school funding as inadequate, the latest rankings were seen as further proof that state lawmakers continue to shirk their financial responsibilities. Florida?s Constitution explicitly guarantees citizens a ?high-quality system of free public schools.?

?A high-quality system of public education is an economic driver, and it?s high time that our legislative body understand that and put it into practice,? said Kathleen Oropeza, co-founder of Fund Education Now, a parent-formed school advocacy group.

Oropeza said Florida?s overall ranking is benefiting from the flurry of reform laws passed by the Legislature, but she argued that the categories that truly matter are student performance and funding ? areas where the state?s performance is much less impressive.

The report grades states based on their policies and performance in six main education areas: Chance for Success; Transitions and Alignment; School Finance Analysis; K-12 Achievement; Standards, Assessments, and Accountability; and the Teaching Profession. State rankings are based on the average score for all six categories. This year?s rankings are calculated based on updated data for three of the six areas: Chance for Success; Transitions and Alignment; and School Finance Analysis.

See Florida?s full report card and read the report at Edweek.org.

Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/10/3175937/florida-schools-make-top-10.html

act of valor woody guthrie benson henderson 2012 dunk contest edgar vs henderson berkshire hathaway ufc 144