2022's States with the Best & Worst School Systems

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:what difference does it make whether dc is compared to other cities or other states? by any conceivable standard, dc public schools are bad -- terrible even, given how lavish school budgets here are. we spend a f*ckton on schools and still dont get respectable results.

Given that DC is one of the most expensive areas to live in the country should we really consider that the resources for schools are lavish? Salaries are certainly higher than elsewhere, but reflect living costs. Schools are woefully under-resourced in my opinion. We have been through three DCPS schools - there are never enough PE teachers to get the recommended amount of PE. There is no longer foreign language in elementary schools, librarians are always on the chopping block, there is usually not weekly science at the elementary school level and no support for a high quality science program, often specials teachers are provided as a half time position meaning that you cannot find a qualified candidate (i have experience on LSAT as a parent). Any discretionary funding that could help to ensure field trips gets sucked up to avoid staffing layoffs. Teachers use their own money for supplies. I am shocked by the underfunding although I do think that the average teacher salary is certainly not terrible at $100 K for about nine months of work if you consider all the vacation. I would say it is deserved rather than lavish. Not trying to be critical but i think there is a genuine misperception that DC overspends on education. I think it is the opposite.

The average teacher in DC makes 68k. 6 figures is after 13 years of service.
NYC’s teachers also can make 100k. Just thought I’d add that.

I do think that we can cut costs elsewhere and fund more things for students, however some of those things are more staff and the teacher shortage isn’t boding well for future outcomes in public education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:what difference does it make whether dc is compared to other cities or other states? by any conceivable standard, dc public schools are bad -- terrible even, given how lavish school budgets here are. we spend a f*ckton on schools and still dont get respectable results.

Given that DC is one of the most expensive areas to live in the country should we really consider that the resources for schools are lavish? Salaries are certainly higher than elsewhere, but reflect living costs. Schools are woefully under-resourced in my opinion. We have been through three DCPS schools - there are never enough PE teachers to get the recommended amount of PE. There is no longer foreign language in elementary schools, librarians are always on the chopping block, there is usually not weekly science at the elementary school level and no support for a high quality science program, often specials teachers are provided as a half time position meaning that you cannot find a qualified candidate (i have experience on LSAT as a parent). Any discretionary funding that could help to ensure field trips gets sucked up to avoid staffing layoffs. Teachers use their own money for supplies. I am shocked by the underfunding although I do think that the average teacher salary is certainly not terrible at $100 K for about nine months of work if you consider all the vacation. I would say it is deserved rather than lavish. Not trying to be critical but i think there is a genuine misperception that DC overspends on education. I think it is the opposite.

The average teacher in DC makes 68k. 6 figures is after 13 years of service.
NYC’s teachers also can make 100k. Just thought I’d add that.

I do think that we can cut costs elsewhere and fund more things for students, however some of those things are more staff and the teacher shortage isn’t boding well for future outcomes in public education.

DC pays more and it also costs more to live here or to even live within a 45 minute drive. Everything costs more and with no contract in sight, this will probably be the last year that many of us (who have fewer than 10 years in the system) will continue teaching in DCPS. I’d rather take a small pay cut and have less wear and tear on my body and mental health.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, DC is a city. It is a single urban area with no suburb, being compared to full states.

If you compare DC to other major cities, it is different.

Not saying DC is doing great by all of its students (some yes, for sure), but the chart you are citing is useless.

This. It's like when the news is constantly telling us that DC leads all states in monkeypox cases per capita. Of course it does, it's the densest "state" because it's a single urban municipality. If you compare it to other similarly sized cities, it is no longer an outlier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, DC is a city. It is a single urban area with no suburb, being compared to full states.

If you compare DC to other major cities, it is different.

Not saying DC is doing great by all of its students (some yes, for sure), but the chart you are citing is useless.

Functionally, most of DC us a large suburb. There is no difference between palisades or CCDC or any other upper NW neighborhood and the inner suburbs of any city.

What? No. Sorry. Not in any way, shape, or form. Something doesn't have to look like the East Village to be urban.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's the ranking of the top 30 if anyone's interested.

1. Massachusetts
2. Connecticut
3. New Jersey
4. Virginia
5. Maryland
6. Delaware
7. New Hampshire
8. North Dakota
9. Nebraska
10. Wisconsin
11. Vermont
12. Maine
13. Utah
14. Florida
15. Minnesota
16. Rhode Island
17. New York
18. Pennsylvania
19. Iowa
20. Wyoming
21. Kentucky
22. Indiana
23. Illinois
24. Colorado
25. Montana
26. South Dakota
27. Texas
28. Tennessee
29. North Carolina
30. District of Columbia

Laughable. Maryland at number 5 when the state itself funds a commission (Kirwan) to compare its school system with all those in the US and the world and it comes back with dismal. So dismal we need 4 billion to bring it up to par. (Hell with NAEP scores in the 30s I can’t say they aren’t onto something). I swear that Maryland keeps scoring high on these because US News reporters live in the Maryland suburbs of DC and think it is 1990 in MCPS.

[Anonymous]

+1. MoCo isn't half the school system it was in the 90s.

[Anonymous]

Exactly. I know teachers in Charles County and PG County who are struggling in the same way DC is. I’d be curious where the high pulling counties are located? Western MD? Eastern Shore?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:+1. MoCo isn't half the school system it was in the 90s.

It's twice better now

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, DC is a city. It is a single urban area with no suburb, being compared to full states.

If you compare DC to other major cities, it is different.

Not saying DC is doing great by all of its students (some yes, for sure), but the chart you are citing is useless.

Not OP but taking that into consideration I think #30 is pretty good.

31 Washington
32 Arkansas
33 Kansas
34 Ohio
35 Missouri
36 Georgia
37 Idaho
38 Michigan
39 Nevada
40 California
41 Hawaii
42 Alabama
43 Mississippi
44 Oregon
45 Oklahoma
46 South Carolina
47 West Virginia
48 Arizona
49 Louisiana
50 Alaska
51 New Mexico

Well, not exactly. Most of the states coming after DC are largely rural and lacking in big cities.

I’d say DC comes in next to last among states with major cities.

??? Since when are California, Ohio, and Michigan lacking in big cities? Come on PP.

LOl exactly

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, DC is a city. It is a single urban area with no suburb, being compared to full states.

If you compare DC to other major cities, it is different.

Not saying DC is doing great by all of its students (some yes, for sure), but the chart you are citing is useless.

Functionally, most of DC us a large suburb. There is no difference between palisades or CCDC or any other upper NW neighborhood and the inner suburbs of any city.

No it’s not, lol. Like the other response said, most cities have pockets of higher SES neighborhoods. This is a normal urban landscape. Just because the Palisades or Chevy Chase is a mostly residential middle-to-upper class neighborhood does not make it equivalent or comparable to a suburb. It cracks me up when people call areas like north Arlington the suburbs. Why is this word so abused?? For that matter, reaidential neighborhoods that may be orbiting or part of a small town are also not suburban as there is no urban center for them to be sub to. These are all different types of communities with different demographics, political landscapes, governance, in-migration/out-migration and immigration all look different and have different patterns, characteristics, and phenomena. To conflate all of this is makes no sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:+1. MoCo isn't half the school system it was in the 90s.

It's twice better now

Nice try, Monifa