Education, What Do You Think?

[Editorial]

I was reading an article on education in America and there is a glaring difference between the states, a divide.

Map Shows Least Educated States in America

Newsweek

By Khaleda Rahman

February 14, 2024

A good education is considered by some to be an essential first step on the road to a better future.

Higher levels of education tend to lead to higher salaries, meaning more educated people may choose to move to places where they have better earning potential after graduation. But the quality of education received from a young age is another important factor that can depend on where you grow up.

The personal finance website WalletHub has released a report showing the most and least educated states in the U.S.

Massachusetts—home to prestigious institutions including Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology—was the most educated state in the country, according to WalletHub's analysis. West Virginia, which has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country, was the least educated.

Okay here is the kicker… the most and the least.

Massachusetts ranks second when it comes to the average quality of its universities, and also has some of the best high schools in the country.

Vermont was the second most educated state, according to the analysis. Almost 42 percent of residents 25 or over have at least a bachelor's degree and more than 94 percent have at least a high school diploma. The other states in the top 10 were: Maryland, Connecticut, Colorado, Virginia, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Minnesota and Washington.

After West Virginia, Mississippi and Louisiana were the least educated states, according to the analysis. Other states at the bottom of the list include Arkansas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Nevada, Kentucky, New Mexico and Texas. The full list can be viewed here.

"There are some states that consistently perform poorly in educational attainment, such as Louisiana, Mississippi, and West Virginia," Happe said.

"The reasons for this include various factors such as lower percentages of adults with high school diplomas, limited college experience or degrees, and lower quality of education metrics."

Question what stand out to you about the top and bottom states?

Is it the fact eight of the bottom ten the bottom states are Republican except New Mexico and Nevada has a split legislature, and all the top states are Democratic except for Virginia which has a split government?

[/Editorial]