By BOB GRIFFIN
Despite significant disparities in funding and adequacy, Florida dramatically outperforms Alaska in the quality of high school graduates. This is despite having a higher poverty rate than Alaska and twice the rate of students who speak English less than “very well”.
In 2024 a Rutger University study ranked Alaska as the second most adequately funded K-12 system in the US with a score of 95 out of possible 100. Florida was rank last with a score of 12.
In 2023, 28.4% of Florida high school graduates passed at least one Advanced Placement (AP) test, ranking 4th highest in the US. Conversely, Alaska ranked 40th with only 12.4% of high school graduates passing at least one AP test.
A common misconception is that Alaska’s poor school performance is solely due to low-performing rural schools in predominantly native communities. While there are notable challenges in some rural schools, urban schools in Alaska also show lackluster performance.
The 2024 NAEP 4th grade reading scores for upper/middle-income white students in Alaska were statistically indistinguishable from the reading scores in Miami Dade Public Schools in Florida, where 94% of the students are ethnic minorities, two-thirds are from low-income families, and over half speak a language other than English at home.
So, what is the key difference between the Florida and Alaska education systems? In two words: Healthy competition.
The Alaska K-12 education system is essentially a government-controlled monopoly. Though there are some options for parents, such as charter schools, local government school boards often openly hostile to charters routinely restrict their authorizations and enrollment levels well below public demand. Alaska is one of only five states in the US where local school boards have sole authority to authorize charter schools and limit their capacity. Consequently, only 5.5% of Alaska public school students are enrolled in charters compared to 13.3% in Florida.
Additionally, 13.4% of Florida students attend private schools, with over 70% of them being low-income students who receive government assistance for their private school tuition. In Alaska, private school enrollments make up only 3.3% of all students—a figure that is one of the lowest in the country and predominantly comprised of students from upper-income families.
When healthy competition exists, there are incentives to innovate and improve to attract patrons. Monopolies, on the other hand, have no incentive to improve and tend to devolve into low-quality and overly expensive enterprises.
In summary, the stark differences in educational outcomes between Florida and Alaska can be attributed to the presence or absence of healthy competition within their respective education systems. The competitive environment in Florida fosters innovation and improvement, whereas the monopolistic system in Alaska lacks the necessary incentives to excel.
Rutgers Study:
Bob Griffin is on the board of Alaska Policy Forum and served on the Alaska Board of Education and Early Development.
Step One: Gut the influence of the NEA Cartel.
You won’t have competition as long as the teacher’s unions control the schools, legislature and school boards.
Want better schools, get rid of the unions…….
I refuse to believe that choice will make schools better. It will for those students with parents who are willing and can afford that choice. Personally as a 45 year public educator I care about the kids left in our failing schools, the
Kids no one else cares about! I actually once had a person in AK, I actually respect, tell me he didn’t really care about those children, only his.
As a Christian and someone who has spent their entire career in education, I care about all children and we all should.
The problem in AK is we don’t have people strong enough in leadership to take a stand. Just easier to give them money.
Anyone that thinks AK bush schools are not at any disadvantage has never actually spent much time in those schools. Come spend a week with me sleeping on gym floors.
Our state consistently gives more money to failing schools? Why is that? They don’t have the guts to take on these districts whether it be Anchorage or rural. The state controls millions in school improvement grants that have no teeth in them. Doesn’t matter if they fail, we just let them apply and get it again.
I have worked in urban, rural, bush and for the state in education. It infuriates me that we don’t have the leadership in this state from either party to do what needs to be done.
But what would I know? I have just successfully helped schools turn around but once you leave, incompetent school boards, non caring union leaders and weak leaders at the local and state level just turn their heads. I say to all of the above, shame on you!