Oregon Public Broadcasting

A report evaluating state education practices across the nation gave Oregon a C-minus. Ryan Knutson reports.

Education Week’s annual Quality Counts report ranked Oregon’s overall K through 12 education a little below other states – except in its efforts to improve teaching.

In that category, Oregon got an F -- ranking dead last - #51, out of 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The report says Oregon has poor teacher accountability, training and incentives. 

Vickie Chamberlain is the executive director of the Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission, which sets those policies that were rated poorly. She says Oregon just does things differently than the report suggests, not worse.

Vickie Chamberlain: “They can’t cite data or research that supports that doing it that way is better than how we’re doing it. It’s their collective opinion.”

Oregon’s overall grades were about the same as in 2009.