Barely half of Louisiana residents positively view the quality of K-12 education in the state and believe public schools adequately prepare students for workplace success, according to a recent Gallup poll.
Louisiana ranked among the bottom four of states in which residents are least likely to view public education as “excellent” or “good.” Only 49% of Louisianans reported having a positive perception of public schools, while 57% of the state’s residents agree their K-12 schools prepare students for workplace success, Gallup found.
The data, Gallup says, reveals a correlation between states’ economic conditions and residents perceptions about how well public schools are preparing students for the workforce. States in which a large share of residents rate the quality of education as excellent or good are also more likely to believe their public school system prepares students for success in the workplace.
North Dakota ranked high on the list of states, with 89% of residents reporting a positive perception of their public schools. Minnesota and Nebraska followed with 82% each. The same percentage of North Dakota residents believed their public schools prepared students for the workplace. Nebraska and South Dakota were close behind, with 81% of residents in each state having a positive perception that K-12 education prepares students for workplace success.
Bureau of Labor Statistics data from December showed that North Dakota, Nebraska and South Dakota had the three lowest unemployment rates among all states and the District of Columbia, Gallup notes. In January, the three states reported unemployment rates of 2.8%, 3% and 2.8%, respectively. Louisiana had an unemployment rate of 5.9% in the opening month of this year.
“Public education systems require strong financial support at the state and local level, and challenging economic conditions can make it more difficult to provide the funding required for schools to deliver a high-quality education,” Gallup says. “Additionally, students living in states with higher unemployment rates may face different challenges in finding a good job.”
The results are based on a telephone poll Gallup conducted between March 20 and Dec. 22 with approximately 500 adults, aged 18 and older, in every state. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus six percentage points.
The following states ranked lower than Louisiana: Nevada (42%), New Mexico (42%) and Hawaii (47%).
—Alexandria Burris
