10 States with the Worst Grades

When a school system fails statewide is it the fault of the child or the fault of the “system?”

I just read an excellent article on Yahoo about the 10 worst states and their grades. It was appalling! Many people think that just because we’re home schoolers that we don’t look at and think about these things but the opposite it true. My scope of reason is wide enough to know that these kids are the future generation of America. It seems that the United States is on a downward slide.

I was just speaking with my husband the other day and we were both talking about how the 1900’s were of time of expansion – a time of growing and getting bigger and better with each decade. Now, it appears the 2000’s are a time of shrinking, contraction, and worsening. In my hotel room where I was on vacation last week used to be a bead spread now replaced with only a strip of material at the bottom of the bed to give the appearance of the bedspread folded down.

Brands have contracted too. Chocolate chips (to make chocolate chip cookies) used to be based on a bag of chips that was 16oz (1lb). Now, the price of the bag hasn’t changed but the ounces for that same bag are either 10oz or 12oz. I noticed the same with Triscuits – they used to be 16oz. Now the 16oz is the “family size.”

Where are we headed with the shrinking economy, shrinking graduation rates and shrinking education in America? It appears to me that the days of America being on top of the World, so to speak, are over. Some older, wiser folks, have been watching the downward spiral and others have no idea it’s taking place. Check this list below and you’ll see the top 10 States with the worst grades. I was amazed that Maryland didn’t make the list too. In Maryland 50% of the kids that go all the way through high school and onto college are forced to take remedial, non-credit classes at college because they are unable to pass the college placement exams. Proof of another sad truth of today’s real world that are system isn’t working.

Today I’m grateful to be a homeschool family. See the below list for the 10 States with the worst grades in the United States;

• Oklahoma – High School graduation rate of 73.9%
• Michigan – High School graduation rate of 70.9%
• South Dakota – High School graduation rate of 76.3%
• South Carolina – High School graduation rate of 61.5%
• Alaska – High School graduation rate of 69.7%
• Alabama – High School graduation rate of 69.4%
• West Virginia – High school graduation rate of 74.4%
• New Mexico – High School graduation rate of 59.4%
• Louisiana – High school graduation rate of 67%
• Mississippi – High school graduation rate below 65%

Scary isn’t it?

(thanks for the test scores Yahoo & Maryland info from Del Smeigal)