Last Stand for Children First Awards State Education Report Cards

Today, Last Stand for Children First was proud to announce it's state report card for education.  Scores were generated by a wide variety of data and sadly, it shows that America's schoolchildren are not being put first and are not getting the education that they deserve.  Another education group released their report cards as well.  Whose scores are more accurate?  It's hard to say, but then again our ratings don't have an inverse relationship to the states' NAEP scores. 

• Only 2 states received a B-, and there was only 1 C+
• Only 9 states received a grade of C or C-
• 22 States received grades of F

It is time that we begin to put our educational house in order.   The fact that very few states are making the grade shows a systemic failure across the American public education system.  We rated states on the following criteria:

• The Cost of a Roll of Duct Tape - Duct tape is a versatile and effective teaching tool.
• Teacher salaries - The less money spent on teachers, the more money can get where it's needed to help students achieve.
• Corporal Punishment - States that allow teachers to inflict corporal punishment are less likely to interfere with a teacher performing behavior modifications like duct taping students' mouths shut.
• Fraud Prosecutions - States that overreact to fraud are less likely to be great places to open a charter school or a child advocacy organization.

State Grades
Oklahoma 1 9 4 16 30 B- Mississippi 3 10 1 16 30 B- Kentucky 2 7 12 16 37 C+ Missouri 11 4 9 16 40 C  Tennessee 4 15 6 16 41 C Nebraska 6 2 18 16 42 C Kansas 8 7 14 16 45 C West Virginia 17 3 18 7 45 C Nevada 20 2 18 5 45 C Arkansas 7 25 2 16 50 C- Indiana 9 18 10 13 50 C- Alabama 12 20 3 16 51 C- Iowa 15 6 18 16 55 D+ Georgia 14 28 7 8 57 D+ Idaho 10 22 11 16 59 D+ Texas 5 32 7 16 60 D+ South Carolina 18 13 13 16 60 D+ Utah 13 17 18 16 64 D  Colorado 31 16 16 2 65 D Florida 27 27 12 1 67 D South Dakota 34 1 18 16 69 D Ohio 16 29 15 16 70 D Montana 28 8 18 16 70 D Louisiana 19 23 5 15 72 D Arizona 32 11 16 13 72 D North Carolina 22 12 15 16 75 D- New Mexico 25 21 13 16 75 D- North Dakota 30 12 18 16 76 D- Virginia 24 34 18 7 83 F Wisconsin 26 26 18 16 86 F Illinois 23 31 18 15 87 F Maine 40 19 18 16 93 F Michigan 21 41 18 14 94 F Washington 35 36 18 9 98 F Delaware 38 39 18 3 98 F Minnesota 36 30 18 16 100 F Wyoming 29 38 18 16 101 F Pennsylvania 33 42 18 16 108 F Vermont 41 33 18 16 108 F Oregon 37 40 18 16 111 F New Hampshire 42 35 18 16 111 F Maryland 44 45 18 4 111 F Massachusetts 39 46 18 16 119 F New Jersey 46 48 18 10 122 F Hawaii 51 38 18 16 123 F California 45 50 18 12 125 F Rhode Island 43 49 18 16 126 F Connecticut 48 44 18 16 126 F Alaska 47 47 18 16 128 F District of Columbia 50 44 18 16 128 F New York 49 48 18 11 136