California Receives C Minus on Report Card
Every year, California receives an evaluation that reflects the state’s academic performance. A major aspect that indicates California’s proficiency is its K-12 education framework. The magazine Education Week, which reports nationwide education news, does its part by releasing annual editions of “Quality Counts,” a series of reports that rank each state’s educational aptitude. California received 69.9 out of 100 points, making its grade a C minus. California ranked 41st overall in the nation, 30th in school finance, 30th in achievement and 41st in conditions that help children succeed. Major factors implemented towards the “Quality Counts” include K-12 achievement, school finance and chance for success, earning a D plus, D plus and C respectively. Smaller states such as Massachusetts topped the charts, earning a B plus, followed by New Jersey, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maryland and Connecticut, which all earned Bs.
“[The top-scoring states] are much smaller and [it is unclear] if the student population in those states is more homogeneous or diverse than the one of our state, so I do not know if [these rankings] are a fair comparison,” counselor Adam Wolven said.
Education Week utilizes multiple aspects to determine the state’s educational proficiency. The magazine reviews 18 different measures, including Advanced Placement (AP) exam results, graduation rates, equity and achievement gaps and reading and math tests. According to Daily News, the justification for California’s substandard results may be because the state has not taken notable means to improve the status quo.
These rankings do not only reflect the state’s educational status, but also society as a whole. Poverty, low parental education levels and unemployment contributed negatively to the grade. For example, students of low-income families often cannot afford tutors or test preparation classes, leaving them at a disadvantage.
However, several areas in California exceeded the national average, including school-finance equity. The state received a B plus in the category, while the nation averaged a C. According to Daily News, the proficiency was mainly due to the 2016 funding revision orchestrated by Governor Jerry Brown, which awarded more financial assistance towards schools that educate a considerable number of immigrants and poor students.
“Resources are critical; there are a lot students [in California] that do not have access to some of the material that [Peninsula] would consider essential, including books and technology, and those are the [supplies] we take for granted,” AP English Literature and English 3 teacher Bruce Colin said.
According to the Daily News, Robert Oakes, a representative of the State of Education Chief said the California Department of Education is investing more towards California’s budget to improve proficiency of the education system. Proposition 55, which was passed in November 2016, extends temporary income tax on earnings over $250,000 for 12 years to fund education and health care. The proposition is predicted to provide $4 billion to $9 billion annually, with half of its revenue allocated to public schools and community colleges.
“The history of education spending in California has always demonstrated that we were a little bit lower funded than other states are,” Colin said. “Money is just one piece of a much larger puzzle, [and] there are lots of questions about how the money is spent and how the state chooses to allocate that money.”
