State receives promising grades in education
By KEVIN McGILL, Beauregard Daily News, January 6, 2005
Associated Press Writer

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Poor school facilities and low parental involvement are among the problems still plaguing Louisiana public schools but the state's accountability system and its program to improve teacher quality are among the nation's best, according to the latest rankings released by Education Week magazine.

Louisiana was the only state to receive an 'A'' for its teacher improvement efforts. Its score of 93 in the rankings was No. 1 in the nation. The state also got an ''A'' in standards and accountability, and its score of 98 was second only to New York's 100.

''Louisiana ... has been among the most aggressive states in holding districts and schools accountable for the quality of their teachers,'' Education Week said.

As for the accountability system, the magazine praised it as ''well-established and comprehensive....

''Clear and specific standards exist in English, mathematics, and science in all grade spans,'' the report, released Wednesday, said.

''B'' was the grade for spending equity, a measure of the relationship between state and local funding and the wealth of each district in the state. The state had the nation's sixth-highest grade in that category with a score of 85.

No grade was given for spending, but the report said the amount spent per pupil in the state in the 2001-02 school year was $7,349. That was a 9 percent increase from the previous year.

''That figure still falls below the national average, but almost 29 percent of students in the state attend schools in districts that spend at least the national average per pupil. That's better than other states,'' the report said.

But the state rated a ''D+'' in the category of school climate, a slight improvement from the ''D'' grade received last year.

Louisiana ranked near the bottom of the National Assessment of Educational Progress indicators, measurements of student behavior, safety and parental involvement.

The report also noted that points were lost in the school climate rankings because the state scores poorly in terms of school size and the condition of facilities.

Another problem, the report said, is that the state does not provide information about class size, parent involvement or safety on the school report cards it issues to the public. The state education department said that has been remedied, although too late to improve the Education Week ranking.

''On the plus side, the average class size for elementary school classes in Louisiana is 18.9 pupils, lower than the national average of 21.2,'' the report said.

State officials said the Education Week rankings are evidence of continued progress in school reform.

''This report confirms that we are making greats strides in the effort to improve our schools. More of our teachers are obtaining national certification, bringing the level of classroom qualification to new heights. We have some of the best teachers in the nation. We cannot afford to lose this momentum,'' Gov. Kathleen Blanco said.

''For the past seven years we have focused on establishing high academic standards for all students, while at the same time ensuring that every student, in every classroom, has a quality teacher. That focus is now paying off in big ways,'' Superintendent of Education Cecil Picard said.

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