BATON ROUGE, LA — Today, Attorney General Jeff Landry issued the statements below in reaction to the release of updated National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) exam scores which showed a continued decline in rankings for fourth-grade math, eighth-grade math, and eighth-grade reading in Louisiana.
“Education must be a priority, and our leaders need to have the courage to speak honestly and directly to parents about the failures in our education system. There is no greater priority than ensuring that all children are given access to quality education. No child should be forced to attend a failing school.”
Landry also took issue with any attempt to spin these numbers as a positive development.
“This is like going on a diet and bragging that you only gained five pounds instead of ten,” explained General Landry. “There is no cause for celebration when more than half of students in kindergarten, first, second and third grades cannot read at grade level. Our children are just as smart as those in other states; it’s the broken system that is failing them. It’s time to raise expectations of what Louisiana children can learn.”
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