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While finals week may still be a long way off for most of the schools across the country, report cards are out for of the nation’s schools state by state. For the fourth straight year, Maryland has claimed the top spot in the publication’s yearly ranking of school systems. However, with a top grade of B+, it is apparent that most of the country’s school districts still have a long way to go when it comes to providing the highest possible education to their students.

This video explains Education Week’s annual Quality Counts report card ranks state school systems based on everything from academics and funding to socioeconomic factors that can affect student success in school and later in life.

Quality Counts

Quality Counts is the name given to the most comprehensive assessment of the nation’s schools conducted by Education Week every year. According to , the rigorous evaluation process provides an in-depth look at the state of public schools across the United States today. In light of the recent recession that resulted in big cuts in education spending for many states, as well as efforts by states to put the education pieces back in order during the slow economic recovery, this assessment becomes even more relevant in providing a snapshot of where the quality of education is heading.

“If the turbulence and waves

Washington D.C. high schools have one of the lowest graduation rates in the country, standing currently at just 43 percent, according to the . Many efforts have been made to raise that number, but not all have received as much dialogue and debate as a recent proposal made by a DC council member. DC Council Chairman Kwame Brown (D) has proposed a new requirement for high school seniors in the city – that they show concrete evidence of college readiness before donning a graduation cap as they exit the hallowed halls of high school.

Taking Tests, Completing Applications

The Washington Post reports that Brown plans to introduce a bill to the city council that will require high school seniors to show college readiness before they graduate from high school. Under the new bill, students must take the SAT or ACT college entrance examination while still in high school. They will also need to apply to at least one college or trade school before graduation – even if the student has no intention of continuing his education after high school.

This video takes a look at a college admissions committee's deliberations.

The point behind the bill is to encourage students to complete high school by showing them what their opportunities might be after graduation. According to some education experts, taking college entrance exams and showing students and their parents

Corruption charges have been filed against four San Diego public school officials and one contractor in the largest corruption investigation in the recent history of this beach city. The investigation was prompted by allegations of bribes taken by public school trustees and one superintendent, and it uncovered widespread corruption in what the San Diego district attorney referred to as a “pay for play” culture. Current charges may not be the only ones filed, since the DA has revealed the investigation is ongoing and additional charges are possible.

Defendants Associated with San Diego Public Schools

According to a report at the , charges have been filed against Arlie Ricasa, Pearl Quinones, Greg Sandoval, Jesus Gandara, and Henry Amigable. Ricasa and Quinones are both Union High School Trustees that serve on the school board. Gandara is the former superintendent of the San Diego School District, who was fired from his post last June after receiving a $400,000 payout from the school system. Sandoval is also a former school board member. Amigable is a construction contractor, who worked for Sweetwater and Southwestern College, as well as securing contracts from the San Diego Public School system.

According to a report at , school officials charged in the probe racked up hundreds of dollars in lavish gifts provided by Amigable between 2008 and last year. Gifts included restaurant tabs, as well as airline, concert, and theatre tickets. Tickets to the Lakers’ playoff games and the Rose

Bullying is a problem that can permeate every corner of a child’s life. While school districts across the country take a “no tolerance” stand on bullying, the reality is that many incidents go by without being adequately reported or punished. A non-profit group in Iowa hopes to change the situation through a website allowing parents, students, and faculty to report bullying right from home. The hope is that by making it easier for people to report bullying activities, fewer incidents will go unnoticed by those who can do something about them.

The Eychaner Foundation Introduces Online Reporting

The Eychaner Foundation is a non-profit group in Iowa that promotes tolerance and nondiscrimination among all Iowa residents. According to a report at Heartland Connection, the organization discovered that although Iowa law requires bullying incidents to be reported to the Iowa Department of Education, more than half of all state districts failed to report a single bullying episode during 2011.

“We know that is simply not true,” Michael Bowser, executive director for the Eychaner Foundation, told the Des Moines Register.

While the organization found many possible reasons why reporting was not done, those involved decided to find a solution rather than play the blame game. The foundation set out to make the reporting process as easy as possible for everyone involved in hopes of uncovering and dealing with more bullying problems in Iowa schools.

“Everything’s online for kids. Parents can go online and find their child’s lunch menu for