Dive Brief:
- The latest U.S. News & World Report ranking determines the quality of all 50 states on a range of metrics, including education, and in that category South Carolina comes in last, with Massachusetts at the top of the ranking.
- The Post and Courier reports South Carolina’s standing took a hit, in part, because of the relatively small portion of students meeting college readiness benchmarks on the ACT, low scores on NAEP, and low preschool enrollment, and Melanie Barton, executive director of the state’s Education Oversight Committee said the ranking does reflect the state’s problems.
- While just 44% of South Carolina students met the ACT’s college readiness benchmark for English, top-ranked Massachusetts boasts 85% of students meeting the same benchmark.
Dive Insight:
Education is a critical factor in overall quality of life and state economic performance. Families are looking for good schools to make sure their children have a chance at later success, and employers are looking for good schools to ensure they have a pipeline of qualified employees. The only factor more important in the U.S. News weighting system was healthcare. That’s one reason why Massachusetts and New Hampshire, which ranked Nos. 1 and 3 in the education category, were also at the top of the Best States ranking overall.
Still, even in top-ranked Massachusetts, the system has room for improvement. Achievement gaps are still serious and persistent. When it comes to closing the achievement gap between students from low-income families and their peers, Massachusetts actually ranks 34th, below average. And just when education is becoming one of the most predictive factors for financial success later in life, low-income students are less likely to get a good education.
