Iowa

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Facts at a Glance

Use the Education Counts Database to find more detailed state information, ranks, comparisons across states, national statistics and more.
Governor:Terry Branstad
Director of Education:Jason Glass
Quality Counts state grade:C
Pre-K-12 enrollment:495,775
Number of school districts:359
Number of public schools:1,436
Number of public school teachers:34,642
Unadjusted education spending per student:$9,748
Percent minority students:18.5%
Percent of students eligible for free/reduced price lunch:38.0%
Percent of students with disabilities:13.8%
Percent of English-language learners:4.4%
NAEP Mathematics 2011 percent proficient
4th grade math:43.1%
8th grade math:33.6%
NAEP Reading 2011 percent proficient
4th grade reading:33.2%
8th grade reading:32.7%

Teacher Employment Information

See information on Iowa's certification requirements, salary information, and other teacher-employment data.

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It has been less than six months since the nation’s governors gathered for a summit on high schools, and already at least half a dozen states have enacted policies that require students to complete tougher academic programs to earn a diploma.
June 21, 2005 - Education Week
Like a growing number of other places in America’s heartland, West Liberty, Iowa, is watching its share of minority students shift into the majority. With the federal No Child Left Behind Act pushing schools to improve instruction for immigrant as well as U.S.-born students, raising test scores will be no easy task, as many Hispanic students here are still learning English.
May 17, 2005 - Education Week
Democrats and Republicans alike are calling for merit pay, pay for performance, and other ways that deviate from the generally inflexible salary schedules under which teachers are paid.
February 1, 2005 - Education Week
Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa is stumping statewide to galvanize support to expand his state’s early-childhood-education system and strengthen high school course requirements.
October 19, 2004 - Education Week
Election 2004Teachers, administrators, and other school officials across Iowa use the state's quadrennial political ritual as a classroom tool and a launching point for civic involvement.
January 7, 2004 - Education Week
President Bush's signature education program entered the spotlight last week in Iowa, a state that is playing a central role in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination and will be a key battleground in the 2004 general election.
November 19, 2003 - Education Week
Iowa legislators appear ready to scrap much of their state's teacher pay-for- performance program, which just two years ago was considered a bold shift away from rewarding educators based on seniority.
September 10, 2003 - Education Week
Now in its fourth year, a federal "demonstration project" has channeled $37 million in school construction funds to Iowa schools. It could be construed as pork, but the senator says it's working.
October 24, 2001 - Education Week
Lawmakers in Iowa discarded their traditional teacher-compensation system last week and voted to replace it with one that would pay educators based on their performance in the classroom and students' achievement, rather than on the number of years spent teaching.
May 16, 2001 - Education Week
A high school counselor can be sued for dispensing academic advice that has an adverse effect on a student, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled last week in a decision that a dissenting judge warned could put a damper on academic counseling.
May 2, 2001 - Education Week

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