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Education Report Card
By Dr. Matthew Ladner
The 20th edition of the Report Card on American Education is a comprehensive overview of educational achievement levels, focusing on performance and gains for low-income students, in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The Report Card details state-by-state grades in the following policy areas:
- State Academic Standards
- Low-income student performance
- Curricular policies
- School Choice Programs
- Quality and availability of school choice
- Private school options
- Charter school policy
- Teacher Quality
- Delivering well-prepared teachers
- Expanding the teaching pool
- Identifying effective teachers
- Retaining effective teachers
- Exiting ineffective teachers
- Online Learning
- Multi-District, Full-time Online School
- Digital Learning
- Home School Regulation Burdens
Author Dr. Matthew Ladner analyzes student scores, looking at state education rankings and improvement over recent years. When combined, these policy measures build the state’s overall policy grade. Furthermore, the Report Card highlights education policies states have enacted and provides a road map to best practices, allowing legislators to learn from each other’s education reforms. This year, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker writes an inspirational forward citing his experience implementing innovative reforms like school choice, merit-based pay and retention for teachers, and charter school expansion to the Badger State’s education policy.
