HERE'S A SHOCKER: Republican States Have The Best Public Schools In The Country, By A Long Shot

The American Interest ^ | Jun. 21, 2011 | Walter Russell Mead

[george76]

When it come to excellence in education, red states rule—at least according to a panel of experts assembled by Tina Brown’s Newsweek.

Using a set of indicators ranging from graduation rate to college admissions and SAT scores, the panel reviewed data from high schools all over the country to find the best public schools in the country.

The results make depressing reading for the teacher unions: The very best public high schools in the country are heavily concentrated in red states.

Three of the nation’s ten best public high schools are in Texas—the no-income tax, right-to-work state that blue model defenders like to characterize as America at its worst. Florida, another no-income tax, right-to-work state long misgoverned by the evil and rapacious Bush dynasty, has two of the top ten schools.

...

It is becoming harder and harder to find evidence of any kind that teachers’ unions help either taxpayers or kids; surveys like these hasten the day when real reform comes to the American educational system.

The rise of the red states is one of those stories that the mainstream media—which views the world through blue-tinted lenses—doesn’t like to think about.

[Hodar]

That’s because everyone knows that Red states pay the teachers more. < /sarcasm>

[Jane Long]

This is a great article to send to my Texas school teacher friends who complain about Perry.

[RockinRight]

Could it possibly be the fact that people in red states have a set of values that places emphasis on learning?

[MrB]

Because the PARENTS in the “Red states” happen to be conservative, holding traditional cultural values?

Could it be?

Naaaaaw.

[Joe 6-pack]

This study will be used to justify taking more money from the red states to redistribute to the blue ones.

[max americana]

You mean the in the Red’ states, they pay their teaches based on experience and quality INSTEAD of union seniority?

Get outta here!

[GOPJ]

bump

[A_Former_Democrat]

And compare them on a county-by-county district and the difference becomes even greater

And then go compositions of school districts-by-districts

The gap is enormous

[roamer_1]

Republican States Have The Best Public Schools In The Country, By A Long Shot

But that ain't saying much.

[jagusafr]

Amen! I’m sick of the whining. My daughter goes to a public HS here in San Antonio and is in pretty much all honors and AP classes. The counselors told us that “regular is remedial”, which pissed me off even more after I learned that the school gets more money if kids take honors and AP courses. Not sure, but I think the teachers also benefit financially from teaching the “higher-level” courses.

I did ask the counselor this last time what the definition of “remedial Physics” was. No real answer.

Colonel, USAFR

[Nea Wood]

Love how they call it a “shocker.” Why, who would have ever thought there’d be anything good about...UGH!...RED states?!

[MrB]

Makes one wonder if government can ever have any policy that doesn’t cause perverse incentives.

I believe the answer is “no”.

[ConservativeDude]

interesting. I have seen some news stories as Perry considers running that Texas is “worst in the nation” for pollution and education. It says that Texas ranks 43rd (?) in education. not sure what they mean by that, but, the war over statistics is on.

of course, people are voting with their feet and moving by the tens of thousands to Texas.....I guess they are just duped!

[CrazyIvan]

Big shock here in Ill. I worked at a local school for two
years and was appalled at how corrupt and stupid the people
running it were. I mentioned Yamamoto to the superintendent
once and he thought I was referring to a Pokemon character.

[Buckeye McFrog]

In my experience all teachers unions ever do is go to bat for the incompetent teachers who darn well DESERVE to get fired.

[P.O.E.]

Could it possibly be the fact that people in red states have a set of values that places emphasis on learning?

Bingo!

[netmilsmom]

Where is the list? I can’t seem to find it.

I always love piping up with how low MI scores nationally for the moms that ask me “When are you going to send your girls to school?”

I love to answer, “When we move out of MI and into a state that actually educates them.”

[flowerplough]

“...the pillars of the Democratic Party (are) African Americans, organized labor, women and homosexuals.” *

School builders, all, hayna?

*Large lesbian Donna Brazile, (token) Gore 2000 campaign manager. http://www.npr.org/programs/npc/2001/010502.dbrazile.html

[ExTxMarine]

Thank you for posting the one most obvious cause to these results; even though I am sure you will never hear that listed in a news article or espoused as a probable cause!