Each year Morgan Quitno Press uses some of their combined research and statistics from throughout the year and compiles the annual Smartest States rankings. They use a fairly comprehensive list of factors in determining the overall "intelligence" of a given state. These are the findings of the Education State Rankings, a survey by Morgan Quitno Press of hundreds of public school systems in all 50 states.

States were graded on a variety of factors based on how they compare to the national average. These included such positive attributes as per-pupil expenditures, public high school graduation rates, average class size, student reading and math proficiency, and pupil-teacher ratios. States received negative points for high dropout rates and physical violence. How does YOUR state rank?

1. Massachusetts
2. Connecticut
3. Vermont
4. New Jersey
5. Wisconsin
6. New York
7. Minnesota
8. Iowa
9. Pennsylvania
10. Montana
11. Maine
12. Virginia
13. Nebraska
14. New Hampshire
15. Kansas
16. Wyoming
17. Indiana
18. Maryland
19. North Dakota
20. Ohio
21. Colorado
22. South Dakota
23. Rhode Island
24. Illinois
25. North Carolina
26. Missouri
27. Delaware
28. Utah
29. Idaho
30. Washington
31. Michigan
32. South Carolina
33. Texas and West Virginia (tie)
35. Oregon
36. Arkansas
37. Kentucky
38. Georgia
39. Florida
40. Oklahoma
41. Tennessee
42. Hawaii
43. California
44. Alabama
45. Alaska
46. Louisiana
47. Mississippi
48. Arizona
49. Nevada
50. New Mexico

METHODOLOGY--This second Smartest State designation is awarded based on 21 factors chosen from Morgan Quitno's annual reference book, Education State Rankings, 2004-2005. To calculate the Smartest State rankings, the 21 factors were divided into two groups: those that are "negative" for which a high ranking would be considered bad for a state, and those that are "positive" for which a high ranking would be considered good.

Rates for each of the 21 factors were processed through a formula that measures how a state compares to the national average for a given category. The positive and negative nature of each factor was taken into account as part of the formula. Once these computations were made, the factors then were assigned equal weights. These weighted scores then were added together to determine a state's final score ("Smart Rating" on the table above.)

This way, states are assessed based on how they stack up against the national average. The end result is that the farther below the national average a state's education ranking is, the lower (and less smart) it ranks. The farther above the national average, the higher (and smarter) a state ranks. This same methodology is used for our annual Healthiest State, Safest and Most Dangerous State and Safest/Dangerous City Awards.

The table below shows how each state scored in Morgan Quitno's third annual Smartest State Award.

1. Public Elementary and Secondary School Revenue per $1,000 Personal Income +
2. Per Pupil Public Elementary and Secondary School Current Expenditures +
3. Percent of Public Elementary and Secondary School Current Expenditures used for Instruction +
4. Percent of Population Graduated from High School +
5. Public High School Graduation Rate +
6. Percent of Public School Fourth Graders Proficient or Better in Reading +
7. Percent of Public School Eighth Graders Proficient or Better in Reading +
8. Percent of Public School Fourth Graders Proficient or Better in Writing +
9. Percent of Public School Eighth Graders Proficient or Better in Writing +
10. Percent of Public School Fourth Graders Proficient or Better in Mathematics +
11. Percent of Public School Eighth Graders Proficient or Better in Mathematics +
12. Percent of 4th Graders Whose Parents Have Strict Rules about Getting Homework Done +
13. Average Teacher Salary as a Percent of Average Annual Pay of All Workers +
14. Percent of School-Age Population in Public Schools +
15. High School Drop Out Rate -
16. Percent of Public School Teachers Who Reported Being Physically Attacked in the Past 12 Months -
17. Special Education Pupil-Teacher Ratio -
18. Percent of Public Elementary and Secondary School Staff Who are School District Administrators -
19. Estimated Pupil-Teacher Ratio in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools -
20. Average Class Size in Public Elementary Schools -
21. Average Class Size in Public Secondary Schools -

Source from: http://www.morganquitno.com/Education%20State%20Rankings

© 2004 by AfroStaff