JLF folks have commented frequently in the past about North Carolina’s relatively poor record in setting and enforcing high academic standards in the public schools. Many other states have a superior record, including our southern neighbor. Here’s a list of the top 11 states in academic standards as of 2007, according to an EducationNext study we’ve previously written about:
South Carolina: A
Massachusetts: A
Missouri: A
Hawaii: B+
California: B
Vermont: B
New Hampshire: B-
Colorado: B-
Maine: B-
Minnesota: B-
Washington: B-
From there, the states start getting Cs and Ds. Three states ? Georgia, Oklahoma, and Tennessee ? get Fs. North Carolina isn’t quite that bad, D+. It’s an improvement from the D- we got in similar 2005 and 2003 studies.
