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Living in Ohio May Not Be Too 'Smart'
LAWRENCE, Kan. -- The smartest state in the union, for the second consecutive year, is Massachusetts. The dumbest, for the third year in a row, is New Mexico.These are the findings of the Education State Rankings, a survey by Morgan Quitno Press of hundreds of public school systems in all 50 states. States were graded on a variety of factors based on how they compare to the national average. These included such positive attributes as per-pupil expenditures, public high school graduation rates, average class size, student reading and math proficiency, and pupil-teacher ratios. States received negative points for high drop-out rates and physical violence."The Smartest State Award recognizes those states that are committed to students and teachers, emphasize excellence in the classroom and ensure that public schools are safe and efficiently-run," said Scott Morgan, president of Morgan Quitno Press. "As in last year's competition, Massachusetts has an impressive record. Its students are some of the nation's most proficient in reading, writing and math. In addition, schools in Massachusetts have low pupil-teacher ratios, as well as a low percentage of staff who are school district administrators."Rounding out the top five states with Massachusetts were Connecticut, Vermont, New Jersey and Wisconsin. Bringing up the lower end of the rankings scale were New Mexico in last place, Nevada in 49th, Arizona in 48th, Mississippi in 47th and Louisiana in 46th. In between are Ohio, in 20th place, and Pennsylvania, at 9th.The Smartest State Award is one of six designations announced annually by Morgan Quitno Press. The company's other annual announcements designate the nation's Safest and Most Dangerous City and Metro Area, the Most Livable State, the Healthiest State, the Safest and Most Dangerous States and Most Improved State. Each award or designation is based on data from annual Morgan Quitno reference publications.Morgan Quitno Press is an independent private research and publishing company founded in 1989. The company specializes in reference books and monthly reports that compare states and cities in several different subject areas. The corporation is not a subsidiary of any other company nor is it subsidized by any outside interest group."