Schools improve

   Kentucky’s ranking in an annual grading of all states on key education indicators rose dramatically this year, placing the state 14th in the nation for its work on academic standards, the teaching profession and many other variables related to public education.
    Each year, Education Week, a national publication that focuses on P-12 education, produces a special issue, “Quality Counts.” The report tracks key education indicators and grades states on their policy efforts and outcomes. Last year, Kentucky ranked 34th in the nation in this annual report. “Quality Counts” provides data and information about states’ efforts in six areas:
    • K-12 Achievement
    • Standards, Assessments & Accountability
    • Teaching Profession
    • School Finance
    • Transitions and Alignment
    • Chance for Success (an index that combines information from 13 indicators that cover state residents’ lives from cradle to career)
    States were assigned overall letter grades based on the average of scores for the six categories. This year, Kentucky’s overall grade was C+, an improvement over last year’s grade and a higher grade than the national average, which was a C.