Floridas at the head of the pack when it comes to education policies nationally, according to a report released early Wednesday from the American Legislative Exchange Council.
Florida received a B letter grade for its education policy, ranking second of all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Only Indiana placed ahead of the Sunshine State in ALECs report, receiving a B+.
ALECs Report Card on American Education took six different educational factors into consideration to churn out letter grades: academic standards, statewide testing, availability of charter schools, private school choice, teacher quality and digital learning. All these categories were used to determine a states letter grade for education policies.
Educational policy is important, said Lindsay Russell, director of the ALEC Task Force on Education, because it opens up doors for students, giving them a greater chance to thrive academically.
Educational freedom matters, and choice in school policy results in better teachers, higher-performing schools and better educational outcomes, said Russell. In localities where outcomes are subpar, students who have access to educational options such as public charter schools, private charter schools, home-schools and digital learning opportunities have a better chance to succeed.
ALEC also examined the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores of fourth- and eighth-grade math and reading tests.
Theres good news that all but one state have really improved, the reports co-author Dave Myslinski told Sunshine State News. About 20 states have made statistically significant gains in all four of the NAEP exams weve examined.
When it came to private school choice, Florida received an A ranking. The state received a B+ overall for teacher quality, earning a B+ for both identifying and retaining effective teachers.
The state didnt perform quite as well in other categories -- it received a C for state academic standards and for its home schooling regulation burden.
When it came to policy successes, Florida was mentioned several times in the report for implementing successful education reforms and changes to statewide policy -- the states charter school legislation and the "A" to "F" ranking system both received high praise from the reports authors.
The implementation of an "A" to "F" grading system, the report says, compelled Floridas citizens to act and send their education system in the right direction.
The state called out underperforming schools in a way that everyone could instantly grasp, read the report. Far from withering under the glare of public shame, Floridians rolled up their sleeves and began the hard work of improving their underperforming schools.
States that faced the greatest educational issues tended to be the ones stepping up to the plate to make drastic improvements in their education policies, said the reports co-author Dave Myslinski.
A lot of the states that were seeing take off and face these challenges are the ones who have had problems in the past, said Myslinski. It shows hope, but theres still a lot of work that needs to be done to make sure every student is afforded opportunities.
Reach Tampa-based reporter Allison Nielsen via email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen
