Most Improved States

GOAL 1: READY TO LEARN
States that made the greatest gains in the numbers of children with disabilities enrolled in preschool (per 1,000 3- to 5-year olds):

West Virginia,Arkansas, New Mexico,Kansas,Kentucky,Maine.

GOAL 2: SCHOOL COMPLETION
States that made the greatest gains in the percentages of 18- to 24-years-olds with a high school credential:

Tennessee, Maryland, Michigan, South Carolina, California.

GOAL 3: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP
States that made the greatest gains in the percentages of public school 4th graders who scored at or above “proficient” in reading:

Connecticut, Colorado, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Virgin Islands.

GOAL 4: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
States that made the greatest gains in the percentages of public school teachers who reported that during their first year of teaching they participated in a formal teacher-induction program to help beginning teachers by assigning them to a master or mentor teacher:

North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, New York, Indiana, Virginia.

GOAL 5: MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE
States that made the greatest gains in the percentages of degrees earned by all students that were awarded in mathematics or science:

Wyoming, Arizona, Mississippi, West Virginia, Connecticut, Louisiana, Montana, Oregon, Tennessee.

GOAL 6: LIFELONG LEARNING
States that made the greatest gains in the percentages of high school graduates who immediately enrolled in two-year or four-year colleges in any state:

District of Columbia, California, South Carolina, Massachusetts, Delaware.

GOAL 7: SAFE, DISCIPLINED, AND ALCOHOL- AND DRUG-FREE SCHOOLS
States that made the greatest reductions in the percentages of public high school students reporting that they carried a weapon such as a gun, knife, or club on school property at least once during the past 30 days:

North Carolina, American Samoa, South Carolina, Wisconsin.

GOAL 8: PARENTAL PARTICIPATION
States that made the greatest reductions in the percentages of public school teachers reporting that lack of parental involvement in their schools is a serious problem:

No state made a significant improvement between 1991 and 1994.

The report is available for free from the National Education Goals Panel, 1255 22nd St., N.W., Suite 502, Washington, DC 20037; (202) 724- 0015. It is also on the World Wide Web at http://www.negp.gov/reports/99 rpt.pdf. (Requires Adobe’s Acrobat Reader.)

SOURCE: National Education Goals Panel