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Is SC last in education?


Last updated August 22, 2017

By Tina Underwood

Is South Carolina really last in the nation in terms of K-12 and higher education? A U.S. News and World Report study ranks the Palmetto State in the 40s for metrics such as preschool enrollment, math and reading scores, college readiness, two-year college graduation rate, and high tuition and fees at SC colleges and universities. Paul Hyde spoke to several school officials and two staffers at the Riley Institute at Furman. Brook Culclasure, Research Director  for the Center for Education Policy and Leadership said, “…it would make an impact if more children were enrolled in pre-K and there were more investment in pre-K in the public schools.  Said Jacki Martin, Deputy Director of the Riley Institute, “The issue in South Carolina is that we have such a high rate of poverty. It’s among those children that scores are lowest, so comparing a state that has such a high rate of poverty to a state that has a far lower rate of poverty is entirely predictable.” Read more in the Independent Mail.

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