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With the start of school just around the corner, West Virginia parents are still preparing to send their children to what one report deems the 48th worst schools in the country. It's not dead last, that's true. But it is still simply unacceptable.
WalletHub's 2023's "States with the Best & Worst School Systems" places the Mountain State at 48th, with only Arizona, Oklahoma and New Mexico doing a worse job of educating their kids. (In case you're wondering, Mississippi has sprung up to 43rd.)
For overall school quality, West Virginia sits at 49, though for safety, the state's schools rank 22nd.
In one pleasant surprise, we do have the lowest drop-out rate in the country.
But we're 49th for math test scores, 50th for reading test scores, tied for 50th for median SAT scores and 47th for bullying incidence rates.
And, the report points out, West Virginia ranks 25th for spending, and can't manage better than 48th overall. That earns the state the "Low spending and weak school system" label.
Students in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Wisconsin and Virginia are attending what WalletHub declares to be the best schools in the country. One has to wonder how many of those Virginia students are being taught by teachers who should be in our Mountain State school systems.
When asked what policymakers could do about the problem, Angela Farmer, assistant clinical professor and Early Honors Academy Program director at Mississippi State University, said "Perhaps this needs to be reframed.
"Policymakers are not in the schools," she said. "They are not facing the students and witnessing the deficits and needs that must be bridged. The number one thing that policymakers need to do is to listen to the school leaders...More testing, for example, will not realize improved test scores. What improves student outcomes is improved quality instruction from excellent teachers who can adjust their methods based on student needs and feedback. The mass exodus of teachers from the profession can be improved by paying the best teachers the best salaries to produce the best results and setting them free to teach. Teaching is an art and a magic that can only be realized if the teachers are well-trained and allowed to focus on improved student outcomes...Just because legislators have been to school does not mean that they know how to teach and trying to legislate and dictate best practice."
A bit harsh, perhaps, but worth considering as the problem of how we best prepare our students for the growing and diversified economy for which we are aiming will not be solved with more of the same. If that's all we've got for them, we are telling our children they aren't worth reaching for better than the bottom of the barrel.