If you're a Star Wars fan, you might remember that Obi Wan Kenobi once cautioned that the truth is often colored by point of view.
I was reminded of that last night when Gov. Mitt Romney told viewers of last night's debate with President Barack Obama that his state, Massachusetts, was ranked No.1 in the country in education.
That one caught the attention of Maryland residents—including those who attended the Patch debate viewing party in Owings Mills Wednesday night. We all know that for the last four years the Free State has been ranked first in education by Education Week. Gov. Martin O'Malley has never been shy about pointing it out.
In fact, Maryland's governor was quick to take to Twitter to remind Romney about it:
"Hey, Governor @MittRomney, Maryland schools are #1 and have been for the last four years in a row. #Debates"
Enter Obi Wan.
O'Malley and Romney appear to be talking about the same Education Week rankings, so an apples to apples comparison should be possible.
The magazine this year used six key indicators to grade each state.
Maryland's number one ranking is an overall ranking with an 87.8—a solid B.
The magazine points out that Massachusetts is "tightly clustered" behind Maryland with a grade of 84.2.
Inside those numbers (the six indicators used by Education Week), Massachusetts is first in two: Chance for Success and K-12 Achievement.
So perhaps this is the hook Romney is hanging his statement on. We're kind of left to guess.
So, what does it all mean?
Maryland is first overall in the country in education, according to Education Week. Massachusetts leads in two of six categories within that same review.
And a reminder that politicians will parse the language and polls and studies to make the argument most favorable to their position.
Were you really surprised?
That's the one thing you can be guaranteed of in private schools. However, there's no qualifications for teacher quality at private schools. Yes, the more prestigious ones will have very qualified teachers, but when you go to public school, teacher qualifications are assured. There are advanced classes in public school, too. In Virginia (like Maryland, a top 5 school year in and out), we had 3 levels of class, Honors, Advanced, and Basic. Sounds like your daughter was in the wrong caliber of class. Of course, I don't know how Maryland schools work.I just know they rate as highly as the schools in Virginia so I suspect they must have something along these lines.
That's it?
Also, let's be honest. Just because Maryland is a top 1-5 school overall in public education, it doesn't guarantee that you live in an area with a great school available. Example: If I lived in Overlea, there's no way I'd let my kid go to Overlea High School. I would definitely look at private school options then (unless my kid got into Eastern). There are several reasons to go the private school route
Schools should teach our kids mental abilities; parents need to teach them proper social behavior. Lets start shifting some of the blame of today's youth on the parents and not just the schools.
According to the UN HDI, our Education Index in 2007 was #13... out of 181 countries. That is an estimate of how literate we are and how long we remain in school. According to the most recent report, our Education Index in 2011 is #4... out of 187. A recent PISA study was done and we ranked an average of #26... out of 75 countries. However, this is an average of reading, mathematics, and science; it does not take into account other knowledge. In addition, creating a comparison between the different educational systems is not reliable because of disparities in how "success" is measured. Also, your 50% of college grads has been shown to not be quite accurate. Fact checks have shown that its closer to 25% that can't find a job; another 25% find jobs that their degrees are useless.
Ed Week may be a trade paper, but let's not ignore the fact it's a non-profit, independent organization that uses broader standards then tests given to kids twice in their first 9 years of schooling. Additionally, when you see the same schools at the top year in and out, it says something positive about those states.I attended a high school in Virginia - Henrico County. It doesn't surprise me at all that Virginia is also consistently in the top 5.
Romney ran a successful company, he was the "Chief Executive" of a successful Olympics, he even ran an entire state. Obama has proven he is in over his head, he never even ran a corner lemonade stand.
If they shut down the Deptartment of Education and let States manage it themselves, I wouldn't have a problem with it. Just set some common sense baselines. I certainly agree with you about teachers being the most important aspect of any education system.
Like herding cattle through the chute with the current process..
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-schools-legislative-audit-20121006,0,6549823.story