The following state-by-state narratives highlight some of the factors that contributed to state performance in the four graded sections of Quality Counts 2005—standards and accountability, efforts to improve teacher quality, school climate, and resource equity— and to state rankings in the ungraded section on education spending.
The grades are based on the annual state policy survey conducted by the Education Week Research Center (see survey methodology) and additional state- and district-level data (see “Sources and Notes.”)
For a more detailed look at the grading process, see “How Education Week Graded the States.” The data and other information included in this report are available.
— Ronald A. Skinner
The vital statistics listed with each state report card came from the following sources:
Number of Public Schools (2002-03): U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2002-03, Preliminary 0g. This figure includes all public schools that reported students in enrollment, provide educational services to students, have an administrator, receive public funds as a main means of support, and are operated by a local school district or other administrative agency. The count includes regular schools, vocational schools, alternative schools, and special schools, including charter schools.
Number of Public School Teachers (2002-03): U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2002-03, Preliminary 0g. Teacher count is reported in full-time-equivalency units of teachers who provide instruction to students at any of the levels from prekindergarten through grade 12 and ungraded classes.
Pre-K-12 Enrollment (2002-03): U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2002-03, Preliminary 0g. The figure includes the total student enrollment on the school day closest to Oct. 1, 2002. All public school students in prekindergarten through grade 12 and ungraded classes are counted.
Annual Pre-K-12 Expenditures (2001-02): U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, “Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: School Year 2001-02,” June 2004. The figure represents “current expenditures,” defined as funds for the day-to-day operation of schools. The figure does not include expenditures for items lasting more than one year (such as school buses, school construction, or computers) or interest on debt.
Percent of Students From Minority Groups (2002-03): U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2002-03, Preliminary 0g. The figure includes all students reporting race or ethnicity and those not classified as “white, non-Hispanic” in the report.
Percent of Children in Poverty (2001): Annie E. Casey Foundation, “Kids Count 2004 Data Book Online,” 2004. The figure is the share of children under age 18 who live in families with incomes below the U.S. poverty threshold, as defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. In 2000, the poverty threshold for a family of two adults and two children was $17,463.
Percent of Students With Disabilities (2002-03): U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2002-03, Preliminary 0g. The figure represents the proportion of students in each state who have individualized education plans, or IEPs.
Percent of Students Who Are English-Language Learners (2002-03): U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2002-03, Preliminary 0g. The figure represents the proportion of students in each state who receive ELL services. Data were unavailable for Pennsylvania and Tennessee.
