Celebrating independence

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men (sic) are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

~ Declaration of Independence of the United States of America

Sharona Coutts and Jennifer LeFleur at ProPublica recently published the results of their incredibly thorough analysis of recently released survey data from the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights. Unsurprisingly, the analysis revealed a national correlation between race and access, and a more striking correlation between wealth and opportunity. Disparity differs by state, however, and some states (Florida is the major dark horse here, with Texas close behind) seem to be leveling the field in terms of providing equal access to higher-level courses across richer and poorer districts.

It is intriguing that Florida and Texas are the leaders in equality of educational access, especially because they are far from the top according to another measure: the states are ranked 32 and 35, respectively, out of 52 (50 states plus D.C. and overseas military bases) in terms of student performance on national standardized tests. Meanwhile Kansas (ranked 16) and Maryland (8) are among the states providing the least equality of opportunity. Are poorer kids in Maryland scoring higher than their economic peers in Texas, or, more likely, are the scores the result of a higher prevalence of poverty in Texas relative to Maryland?

The available data do not yet show whether [more] equal access to higher level coursework at the high school level in Florida and Texas is translating into higher rates of high school graduation, college enrollment, and success at the college level. ProPublica promises future articles on the subject as more information becomes available. I would also be interested to know just how wide the economic gaps are in each of these states. Does equity of access correlate with economic parity, or are the most accessible states making gains in spite of, or in response to, great economic disparity? How will recent gains in educational access affect the national standings of states like Florida and Texas in future rankings based on national standardized tests. Finally, to what extent is the success of Florida and Texas replicable?

One final, unrelated note on the theme of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness: check out this story of a kid who, with the support of those around him, is taking his own "walk down freedom's trail."

On Wednesday Ed Nerd returns to the topic of leadership; check back for part 2 of Raise up your staff.