Iowa No Longer Leader in Eduation

A new study says that Iowa is no longer a national leader in education. From the Quad City Times...

DES MOINES — Iowa gradually is losing its status as a leader in K-12 education, according to a study released Tuesday that looks at the relationship between school funding and test scores.

“I think, in some respects, you get what you pay for,” co-author Charles Bruner said.

The study, titled “No Longer a Leader? Investments and Student Education in Iowa,” was compiled by the Iowa Fiscal Partnership, a budget analysis think tank.

The release came a day before the Iowa Department of Education issues its annual Condition of Education report and a week after an election in which Democrats — who have pledged to make major increases in school funding — won control of both the executive and legislative branches of state government.

I grew up in Iowa and attended public schools. I graduated from a public university and a priate university. Now I am in my first year teaching in a public school district. I have to say that when I was in elementary school, Iowa was the leader in education in the nation. I think it is pretty clear that is no longer the case. The quote about you get what you pay for is very fitting. Take a look at teacher pay and the rising cost of college tuition as two prime examples.