Lieutenant governor candidate McGee Brown boasts Ohio's education system is fifth-best in nation
July 22, 2010
In her first campaign speech as a candidate for Ohio
lieutenant governor, Yvette McGee Brown, running mate of Democratic Gov. Ted
Strickland, highlighted Strickland's focus on primary education during his
first term in office.
She noted that the governor increased school funding by 5.5 percent (a claim that we rated as false) and that he
committed the state to focus on science, technology, engineering and math - or
STEM. She then said this focus on education is bringing Ohio national
recognition.
"The critics have spoken and every Ohioan should hear what they have to
say about our schools," she said. "The Education Commission of the
States gave Ohio its award for the most innovative education reform plan in the
nation. Education Week rates Ohio schools in the top five in the nation."
Indeed, in Education Week's Quality Counts 2010 report, Ohio's education system
was ranked fifth best in the nation, with an overall grade of B-. But a deeper
look behind Education Week's grading system reveals some less-flattering
findings.
To calculate the overall rankings, the trade publication graded each state on
four primary areas. Ohio's rating in some of those areas belies its lofty
overall ranking:
- In 'Chance for Success,' a
category that gauges how well an Ohio education prepares students for the
next stages of their schooling or life, Ohio did not fare well for the
number of students attending preschool and for the number of adults with
two- or four-year college degrees. Rank: 25th; Grade: C+.
- In the 'School Finance'
category, Ohio again rates in the middle of the pack, despite increasing
spending on public education in recent years, as Brown noted. Rank: 18th; Grade:
C+.
- Ohio rated best in the 'Standards, Assessment & Accountability' category, recognized for
having well-reasoned and challenging learning objectives and curriculums.
Rank: 3rd; Grade: A.
- And in 'Teaching Profession,'
an area judging each state's quality of teachers and strength of its
educational leaders, Ohio is considered average. Rank: 14th; Grade: C+.
Brown's statement is correct about the overall ranking. But we believe it is
important to add context to that overall ranking by noting that Ohio received
C+ ratings, or barely average, in three of the four areas graded. We rate this
statement True.
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