(The Center Square) – Alabama is ninth in the nation in educational freedom, a report from the Heritage Foundation says.
The annual scorecard – in existence just four years – ranks the states in five categories consistent with the nonprofit’s mission. Alabama is fifth in return on investment, and ninth each in teacher freedom and transparency.
Other category rankings are 15th in civic education and 21st in education choice.
The state is down two spots overall and four in education choice. It’s up one in transparency and up two in return on investment.
The analysis on its best ranking says, “Alabama spends the 43rd-most (meaning the eighth-least) per pupil, spending $13,478 in cost-of-living-adjusted terms annually. Although Alabama ranks a low 43rd and is tied with Arkansas for its combined fourth grade and eighth-grade math and reading average NAEP score, the Yellowhammer State employs 3.19 teachers for every non-teacher in its public schools.
“Alabama’s unfunded teacher pension liability represents 8.2% of its state gross domestic product. To improve its ROI ranking, Alabama should focus on improving academic outcomes on the NAEP and lowering its unfunded teacher pension liabilities.”
NAEP is an acronym for the National Assessment of Educational Progress, producer of The Nation’s Report Card.
Heritage bills itself as a nonprofit formulating and promoting “public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values and a strong national defense.”
