Quality Counts
Quality Counts 2018: Grading the States
A Report Card for States and the Nation on K-12 Education
January 17, 2018
Education Week鈥檚 annual state-by-state assessment of public education paints a portrait of middling performance overall with patches of high achievement, along with perennial struggles to improve on the part of states mired at the bottom. This is the first of three data-driven Quality Counts packages this year exploring distinct aspects of the performance of America鈥檚 public schools.
For our second installment of Quality Counts on the nation鈥檚 school finance performance, click here. For our third and final installment of Quality Counts 2018 on how states rank on academic achievement and on students' chance for success, click here.
- School & District Management For Quality Counts, a Renewed Focus on Value of DataThe 22nd edition of Education Week's annual top-to-bottom ranking of the nation's schools offers is the first of three Quality Counts reports this year that will a fresh take on the state-by-state data and insightful reporting.College & Workforce Readiness Nation's 69传媒 Stuck in 'Average' Range on Annual Report CardThe C grade on this year's Quality Counts report continues years of flat performance as states begin to grapple with the challenges and opportunities under the Every Student Succeeds Act.School & District Management Map: State Grades on K-12 Education (Quality Counts 2018)Every year, Education Week grades school systems in states and the U.S. on key indicators. Dig into those scores with this interactive map, table, and top-to-bottom rankings.Every Student Succeeds Act What Can the Nation Do to Shift 69传媒 Out of Neutral?States need to take bold steps to create a more conducive climate for school improvement in the nation as a whole to get off the track of mediocrity, researchers, analysts, and educators say.College & Workforce Readiness Five Common Traits of the Top School SystemsWhat lessons can states that perform well on Quality Counts annual rankings offer other states looking to move the needle?College & Workforce Readiness Five Hurdles That Keep School Systems From ImprovingChronically low-performing states must work to overcome structural disadvantages and longstanding challenges that many of them share.School & District Management How We Graded the StatesHow does the Education Week Research Center determine the grades given to states and the nation in the 2018 Quality Counts report? Learn more about the report's grading scale, methodology, and sources.
In March 2024, Education Week announced the end of the Quality Counts report after 25 years of serving as a comprehensive K-12 education scorecard. In response to new challenges and a shifting landscape, we are refocusing our efforts on research and analysis to better serve the K-12 community. For more information, please go here for the full context or learn more about the EdWeek Research Center.