Many states offer "report cards" on schools' and school districts' performance. However, buyer beware: those analyses offered by state departments of education can be difficult, if not impossible, to decipher in trying to get to the heart of the matter on student achievement. As a point of reference, CER offers a state-by-state snapshot of the Nation's Report Card - over all, less than a third of elementary students are proficient in math or reading proficiency.
Therefore, in addition to links to "official" state DOE report cards, which can also suffer from grade inflation, we've provided and recommend other sources - often privately sponsored - that tell it like it is.
Finally, in addition to those sites that offer general information about state grading and evaluation of schools, also included here are sites that provide useful information about parents' choices under No Child Left Behind, the federal law that empowers families to find better schools if theirs is failing.
The Big Picture: Link here to CER's State-by-State Scorecard rating states' education efforts and achievement across the board.
