HARRISBURG – Citing a national report that found Pennsylvania is the only state in the nation to make across-the-board academic gains from 2002 through 2008, Gov. Edward G. Rendell and actor/education advocate Bill Cosby today joined school leaders from across the state to urge continued state investment in education.
The governor said a new report from the Center for Education Policy, or CEP, a leading national educational research organization, identified Pennsylvania as the only state to see increases in student achievement in elementary, middle and high school from 2002 to 2008.
“This report confirms that our investments in student achievement are paying off and making us a more competitive state,” Rendell said. “We need to continue to make these investments and build on this success, especially in tough economic times, rather than retreat as some would prefer.”
To recognize the students and educators who made the achievement possible, Rendell and Dr. Cosby took part in a rally in the Capitol Rotunda that featured representatives of many of Pennsylvania’s top-performing school districts. They were joined by Jack Jennings, president and chief executive officer of CEP.
The CEP report, which examined reading and math performance, found Pennsylvania was the only state to:
• Reduce the percentage of students performing at the lowest achievement ranking;
• Increase the percentage of students who are at least on grade level; and