Why Arizona ranks dead last among the states in 'Smartest' study
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In the annual "The Smartest State Award," Arizona got last place.
Researchers at Morgan Quitno Press reached that conclusion after they analyzed calculations from federal agencies and census data.
The Arizona Republic took a close look at the research and examined Arizona's track record on six key education factors used in this report: money, attendance, grads, teacher pay, test scores and class size.
Here's the sad story: Arizona's thrashing is largely deserved.
Scott Morgan, president of Morgan Quitno Press, said Friday that he never called Arizona dumb. He blamed it on media reports. He guesses "least smart" doesn't roll off the tongue quite as easily.
ATTENDANCEAttendance is one area where Arizona doesn't rank too badly, according to the analysis. The state was No. 6 with an average attendance of 95 percent, which is slightly higher than the national average of nearly 94 percent.
Attendance is considered a key factor in students' success because students miss out on assignments and learning if they aren't in class.
In recent years, the U.S. Department of Education as part of the No Child Left Behind Act has started cracking down on elementary schools with poor attendance.
Elementary schools can wind up on the federal failing school list if attendance drops below 90 percent. For schools in lower-income neighborhoods, consistently winding up on the failing list year after year can lead to state intervening in how the school is run.
GRADSThere isn't a more controversial calculation. This analysis is used four ways to look at dropouts and grads. The U.S. Department of Education shows Arizona with a 10.5 percent dropout rate, the nation's highest.
The calculation is from 2002 and excluded four states. Next, federal stats show 93.1 percent of 5- to 17-year-olds were in school in 2005, higher than the 91.8 percent national average. (You have to wonder about this number. Oklahoma topped this list with 103 percent.)
The analysis checked 2005 census data showing 83.8 percent of Arizonans over 25 had high school diplomas, ranking the state 35th out of 50.
Although state education officials now say Arizona's graduation rate is about 72 percent, this analysis pegged it at 66.8 percent in 2004, or 41st out of 50 states. Here's a number few people debate: 20,000 freshmen never make it to graduation day.
MONEYArizona spends money to build schools. No matter how you count it, the state spends very little to operate them. The analysis looked at how much states spend compared with average personal incomes.
In 2004, Arizona ranked 39th out of 50. The state gets more than an average slice of federal money and voters sometimes agree to additional taxes to boost classroom spending. Arizona falls behind on the amount of money it gives schools out of the state coffers.
State lawmakers provide about $6,000 per student, about $2,000 less than the U.S. average; last, or close to it, in most surveys. The analysis also dings schools for spending more on administrators, maintenance, nurses and counselors than teachers and classroom supplies. State schools spend about 3 percent less on direct classroom instruction than the national average. On this point, the analysis ranked Arizona 46th out of 50.
CLASS SIZEClass size is a problem for Arizona, which has the largest elementary school classes of any state, according to the analysis.
Classes averaged 24.5 students, compared to Nebraska, which has the smallest at 17.5.
Parents often list smaller class sizes among their top priorities because fewer students means more individual attention from the teacher. Several wealthy Arizona school districts have gotten voters to approve tax hikes so they can hire more teachers and lower class sizes.
Research on class sizes is mixed. Some studies show that smaller classes of fewer than 20 students increased achievement but gains often were minor.
Gains were stronger in the early grades and most noticeable among students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Other studies show teacher quality is more important.
TEACHER SALARIESTeacher salaries in Arizona ranked 39th, according to the analysis based on U.S. Census Bureau data.
Salaries are seen as a way to attract and keep good teachers, especially when states compete to fill teaching jobs as Arizona does with neighboring California and Nevada.
The average Arizona teacher made $42,905 in 2005, according to the most recent National Education Association survey. Connecticut paid the most at nearly $58,700 a year and South Dakota the least at around $34,000.
Arizona ranks low despite efforts to bring salaries more in line with the national average of $47,808.
In 2000, Arizona voters agreed to hike state sales taxes by 0.6 percent to benefit education, which included money for teacher salaries.
TEST SCORESThis really hurt. It was based on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a test given to a sampling of fourth- and eighth-graders in every state. In 2005, kids took reading and math exams; in 2002, writing exams.
About 25 percent of Arizona students scored at grade level. The national average was around 30 percent. Only in eighth-grade math and reading did Arizona break out of the 10 states lowest in this analysis. Arizona's white and wealthier students scored at the national average, low-income and minority students fell below.
This ties back to cash: 42 percent of Arizona's nearly 1 million students are poor. Research shows poor kids lag behind wealthier peers and do better in smaller classes with experienced teachers. Both cost money. It's hard to blame immigration. About 12.5 percent, or 125,000, of Arizona's students live in migrant families.
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Suncusser R. (Suncusser)
Oct 23, 2006 @ 8:47pmI don't know anything about teacher's unions here but if there is one why is our teacher's rate of pay so low? It seems like mentioning teacher's unions is kind a red herring since they don't really impact on the problem -
Beto N. (#4015)
Oct 23, 2006 @ 4:52pmThe reason is that Arizona is full of trailer people.
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Brian M. (#4235)
Oct 23, 2006 @ 4:33pmAgain, if we are serious about improving education, we must end the teacher's unions.
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