Americans like to think they are #1 in everything, but when it comes to education, the US is quickly losing bragging rights. Math and science are particularly hard: The US is ranked 28th in the world on these issues. While we may be a developed nation, when education is broken down by state, we are not that different from countries that are more economically challenged.
HomeSnacks.com used information from US high school graduation rates from the US Census and compared it to each country's education index from the United Nations Development Programme.
The result? A map of the US with each state renamed as the country that resembles their level of education.
The Northwest is definitely the most diverse, and Colorado stands out in particular. The Centennial State matched the education level of the Netherlands, which ranks ahead of the US on the education index. Colorado also ranked second — just behind Massachusetts — as the state with the overall best school system in the nation. according Wallethub.
Wallethub also found that, unsurprisingly, schools with the highest spending on education had better school systems, while those that didn't invest as much in education saw a decline in school quality. Arizona and Nevada are prime examples of this. Out of 50 states, they were ranked 48th and 49th respectively, and their matches were Tunisia and Ghana, which fall to 90th and 138th on the UN index.
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In contrast, the northeastern states are on par with the education of the Scandinavian countries, which consistently come out on top. Finland (which matched New Hampshire) has been praised as having one of the best and most efficient school systems in the world. The keys to their success come from fewer and better standardized tests, less homework, free college education, and higher expectations and treatment of teachers, according to Business Insider. It is interesting to note that there is also no list of “best schools” in Finland. Finns fight for equality, so that every child has a comparable education no matter where they live or what school they go to, the Atlantic reported.
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The states in the Northeast also have a reputation for having some of the best schools in the country. For example, Massachusetts ranks first overall, and the five states with the highest reading test scores also come from the Northeast. according to Wallethub.
Why America's Education System Is Struggling
So despite being the seventh richest nation in the world, why are US schools falling behind? It is clear that some states are on par with countries that are much, much more financially burdened.
One reason is America's repeated failure to invest in education. According to US News, federal funding for education has been drastically reduced. Congress has cut funding for K-12 education by nearly 20 percent since 2011 — five times the total spending cuts.
This happened last year in Maryland. Despite massive opposition, last year Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan allocated $68 million originally earmarked for schools to the state's public employee pension plan. As ATTN reported: the money would come from a $200 million package set aside by Maryland lawmakers for top priorities, including school funding, a cushion for state employee pay cuts and a number of health care initiatives.
In addition, some experts believe that the cost of education is the Achilles heel of the US school system.
Related: Five countries that have the right approach to funding higher education
ATTN: reported last year that US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan spoke to students at the University of Maryland, explaining that the nation's college system has failed to provide the majority of people with an affordable, high-quality education. He argued that “debt-free degrees” are “only part of the solution” to this problem and that federal and state governments should hold universities to a higher standard.
And while the US high school graduation rate reached a record high between 2012-2013 with an 81 percent graduation rate according to US Department of Education, some experts believe the numbers are misleading. “The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the largest standardized test administered in the United States, reports that less than 40 percent of high school seniors have mastered reading and math and are ill-equipped for college and real life. people. Those students who are moving up to the next grade are at a severe disadvantage and have an increased chance of falling behind and dropping out of college,” said Matthew Lynch, an education policy researcher. wrote in Education Week.
It's clear that the US has the resources to succeed, but funding and curriculum changes must be made to rise to the occasion.
Do you feel your state has a good education system?
