Florida has been ranked eighth-best in the nation for public education, according to the Education Week report "Quality Counts." This is a big improvement for Florida, which ranked 14th last year. The results are a tremendous testament to the education reforms implemented a decade ago.
What is most impressive about Florida is that it has enjoyed high levels of student achievement at a relatively modest cost. And unlike many high-achieving states, Florida is a state with a majority-minority student population, like Nevada.
The Ed Week report is not without its flaws, however. For example, it appears to rank schools, in part, based on spending. We all know now that spending does not necessarily produce results. The report also gives weight to policies that have yet to prove effective - like the percentage of students enrolled in preschool. The report also gives extra weight to parental income, parents having college degrees, and other factors that cannot be controlled by public education. Although “Quality Counts” is the name of the report, it grades far more than just quality, skewing the comparison in favor of white, wealthy states. Still, Florida does quite well.
Nevada scored 50th, just ahead of D.C.
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