Hofmeister Responds To National Education 'Quality Counts' Report

Adding insult to injury, the latest national education rankings are out, and Oklahoma didn't fare well.

Oklahoma was ranked 46th, and that's actually a slight improvement over last year. This is the 20th year that the publication Education Week has issued its annual Quality Counts report, grading each state, and the nation overall, based on various education metrics.

Specifically, the report factors in numerous indices that tie into three general categories -- Chance for Success, K-12 Achievement, and School Finance. Oklahoma's grades in those three areas are C, D, and D, respectively.

Overall, the state got a grade of D+, compared to a C for the entire country. And, in terms of actual ranking, again, it was 46th, two better than last year.

Highest rank in the survey goes to Massachusetts, while Nevada gets the distinction of worst grade.

State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister responded to the report, saying we're not going to see different results until we start doing things differently.

“We have a large, long-term plan for making greater gains in our state with academics and this is something that we will keep our commitment and focus steadily on,” said Hofmeister.

Still, Hofmeister says it's hard for her to imagine that the budget cuts they're now having to implement won't hurt Oklahoma's efforts and potentially knock our ranking down further.