Zero students proficient in math in 23 Baltimore schools
U.S. Army veteran and Baltimore resident Evie Harris and first vice chair of the BCRCC Kyna 'KJ' McKenzie on the education 'crisis' facing Baltimore.
Twitter gave the Baltimore public school system a failing grade after the city reported that zero students in 23 different schools across the city are proficient in math.
Ninety-three percent of third through eighth graders also tested below grade level in math.
The Baltimore public school system boasted a $1.6 billion budget in 2022, according to Fox Baltimore. When divided by the number of budgeted students, the average cost came out to $21,606 per student.
The Baltimore public school system boasted a $1.6 billion budget in 2022, according to Fox Baltimore. When divided by the number of budgeted students, the average cost per student came out to $21,606 per student. ( )
Professors and political commentators expressed shock at the news and called for more freedom to allow parents to find better schools for their children.
George Washington University Law Professor Jonathan Turley argued on Twitter that teachers are treating students less like human beings and more like captive listeners. "Teachers and boards are killing the institution of public education by treating children and parents more like captives than consumers. That cannot continue much longer before parents look for alternatives."
"This is a scandal," former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted.
Republican Senator Tim Scott slammed the government in Baltimore for leaving students behind and hurting the future of children. "Failed leadership in our schools diminishes their opportunity for a brighter future."
Scott also endorsed school choice, a policy that allows money normally allotted for public schools to follow students and help them go the school of their choice. "School choice expands students' access to a quality education, the key to America's promise."
Johns Hopkins economics Professor Steve Hanke summed up the failure of Baltimore schools in just eight words. "PUBLIC SCHOOL FAILURE = UNPREPARED STUDENTS = A DISMAL FUTURE."
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A January report from the Maryland State Department of Education revealed that math standards are rapidly sliding downward in the state as a whole.
Math proficiency for grades three through eight decreased from "33% in 2018-2019 to 22% in 2021-2022."
In middle school, only "18% of sixth grade students were proficient in math and just 7% of students who took the grade 8 assessment were proficient," according to a Maryland State Department of Education report. ( )
In middle school, only "18% of sixth grade students were proficient in math and just 7% of students who took the grade 8 assessment were proficient."
The percentage of students proficient in Algebra I dropped to a dismal 14 percent, below pre-pandemic levels of 27 percent in 2019, according to the Maryland State Department of Education.
Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress shows the score changes in grade 4 and grade 8 students from 2019 to 2022. (Fox News)
This isn’t the first year that Baltimore schools have failed students.
In 2021, 41 percent of Baltimore public high school students earned below a 1.0 GPA, according to Fox Baltimore.
Fox News’ Madeline Coggins contributed to this report.
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