Kentucky schools get poor rankings in two national studies
BOWLING GREEN, Ky.-New research shows that Kentucky is far behind the rest of the nation when it comes to education. Two separate studies conclude that people in Kentucky aren’t getting the education needed to achieve success.
WalletHub’s annual list of most and least educated states in America ranks Kentucky as the 6th least educated state.
Gary Fields, Superintendent of Bowling Green Independent Schools, calls out ways to improve education in Bowling Green.
“We have a lot of great data that the state provides for us to look at student achievement and where kids are. We try to look at where are we right now and how do we improve on student achievement,” said Fields.
Wallethub’s research shows Kentucky has a low number of people graduating high school, and few people seeking out higher education.
“Bowling Green, Warren County area has outstanding school systems that are preparing kids to be successful, and all of us have dramatically increased our graduation rates,” said Fields.
Another study surfaced today from Education Week’s annual “Chance for Success” index. It gives Kentucky an overall C grade when it comes to opportunities for success.
“We’ve seen the economic growth here locally and that has to be a credit to local public high schools, public schools in general,” said Fields.
Family income and parental education levels help children get off to a good start. The Chance for Success index ranks Kentucky 36th among the states in terms of early foundation for children.
“How do we help all kids walk into kindergarten on equal footing. All of initiatives are giving parents tools to work with kids before they start kindergarten, and a lot of resources we’re providing are really critical,” said Fields.
The most educated state according to Wallethub is Massachusetts, which received high rankings for both educational attainment and quality of education.
