National education study gives state a failing grade

The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation`s published its first ever comprehensive analysis of education reform and results in all 50 states today. The report examines: Student achievement, with a focus on poor and minority students; Achievement trends since the early 1990s for these same students; and reform efforts centering on curriculum, standards, and school choice. The Foundation developed its Student Achievement grades based primarily on results from the 2005 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in reading, mathematics, and science for low-income, African-American, and Hispanic students. A quarter of each state`s grade is based on minority high school graduation rates and statewide passing rates on Advanced Placement (AP) exams. The average state grade for student achievement is D-; six states flunked, and none earned better than D+. But these low marks were not the result of an impossible grading scheme.According to the report, if the same scale applied to white students, the national average would be a B-. Arkansas received a grade of D- for student achievement and received a D+ for education reform. The state was noted as making limited progress in performance by low-income, African-American, and Hispanic students in reading, math, and science. (Copyright 2006 Newsroom Solutions, LLC)