Citizens' group gives Wash. education a C

A citizens' group called the League of Education Voters says Washington state deserves a C average grade for the way it educates children.

The report card released Thursday says the state has improved in many areas, such as better access to quality preschool and all-day kindergarten, and more kids meeting state education standards.

The group said it was worried, however, about student preparation for college and declining college enrollment rates among Latino and Native American youth.

"The report card is nothing to brag about. It's not the kind of report card a kid would want to bring home," said Chris Korsmo, executive director of the League of Education Voters.

The "2009 Citizens' Report Card," the group's third such assessment, gave the state of Washington:

-A C plus for investment in early learning to ensure every child reads by third grade.

-A C plus for raising expectations for all students.

-A C for the state's focus on math, science and engineering.

-A C minus for preparing students for college, work and life.

-A D plus for investing in the future and for holding the system accountable.

At a news conference at the New School, a Seattle public school Korsmo called a model of success, she commended the state Board of Education for raising graduation requirements and student learning goals.

Korsmo also praised the legislative task force exploring ways to change the way the state pays for education. She said the Basic Education Task Force had a lot of good ideas, some of which won't cost the cash-strapped government any money.

One idea she mentioned was giving school districts given more flexibility about how they spend their money.

"Let's not hamstring these people when we're asking them to do a million things on $1.87," Korsmo said.

Korsmo said she hoped lawmakers would be able to move the task force's ideas forward because people are looking for something positive to come out of the legislative session, which is expected to focus on the state's budget crisis.

The report noted an overall increase in college participation rates, including significant improvement among African American youth. It also mentioned, however, that Washington businesses are still having trouble finding qualified workers and annual student debt has increased by 20 percent, compared to two years ago.

The report mentioned a slight increase in high school dropout rates for all minority and low income groups. The number of licensed child care facilities has decreased by nearly 1,000 since 2005.

Third grade reading levels are up among low-income kids and those in all minority groups.

Korsmo said the key to future improvement includes: adopting the Basic Education Task Force's proposals, adopting the state Board of Education's plan to require 24 credits to graduate, phasing in all-day kindergarten across the state, including preschool in the state's definition of basic education, and adding more spaces at colleges and professional training programs.

If the state doesn't adopt some or all of these ideas, Korsmo predicted Washington's education system would continue to get a mediocre report card.

And as a fifth grader named Myla Hightower pointed out at Thursday's news conference: "We should spend a lot of time working on those grades."

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On the Net:

League of Education Voters: http://www.levfoundation.org