Seattle Group Gives Washington State Mixed Grades for Education
SEATTLE
Washington school districts have gotten steadily better in the past decade, but there’s still room for improvement, according to a new report from the Seattle-based League for Education Voters.
The report, released this week, concludes that fewer than half of kindergartners enter school ready to learn and many leave high school not ready for college or the work force.
“A great education is the key to the state’s future and prosperity,” said Mark Usdane, executive director of the League of Education Voters, a nonprofit that filed the failed penny-for-education initiative last year. “We’re making good progress, but we’re not there yet.”
Washington’s early learning programs serve only half of eligible low-income children, leaving more than 14,000 not served each year. The result, the league said, is that fewer than half of incoming kindergartners are prepared for school, according to their teachers. The report also found a need for more training and better pay for early childhood educators.
Washington ranked 18th in average teacher salaries in 2002 at $29,118, versus the national average of $45,771. Average annual pay for early childhood educators in Washington ranged from $20,925 to $24,757.