Oregon gets a D on public education report card

News by Amy KlarupPosted on

The state of Oregon landed a failing grade in valuing public education, according to the Network for Public Education's 50 state report card, released Feb. 2. 

The Network for Public Education, a national advocacy group in support of public education, rated each state based on six distinct criteria. Oregon received separate grades for each of the six categories, and then those grades were averaged together to come up with Oregon's D grade.

From the report:

State policies and laws enacted since the beginning of the No Child Left Behind Act have taken a toll on our public schools. Prior to NCLB, nearly every state would have earned a grade of "A" in the criteria, No High Stakes Testing. This year, only 5 states earned a grade of "A." Grades in the criteria Chance for Success are lower than they would have been a decade ago, due to rising numbers of students living in poverty and increased racial isolation in schools. And when it comes to school finance, our national grade is a dismal "D."

Oregon scored Ds in the following categories: the professionalization of teaching, school finance, spending taxpayer resources wisely and chance for success. The state received Cs in the categories of resistance to privatization and no high-stakes testing.
 
No state received an overall score higher than a C. Oregon was one of 30 states to receive an overall D grade. Eight states scored Fs. 
 
"It is our hope as advocates for public education that this report will rally parents, educators and other concerned citizens to strengthen their commitment to public schools," the report says.
 

Comments are closed.