Md. Schools Ranked Best In Nation Again

BALTIMORE (AP) -- For the third straight year, the trade publication Education Week has named Maryland's public schools as the best in the country.

The annual rankings give Maryland schools a letter grade of B+. New York and Massachusetts rank just below Maryland with a B average, followed by Virginia. Washington D.C. ranks next-to-last with a D+.

Christopher Swanson, vice president of editorial projects at Education Week, says some states that have high student achievement have coasted, but Maryland is keeping pressure on schools to improve.

The ranking is a point of pride for Gov. Martin O'Malley, who mentioned it frequently on the campaign trail. But some experts say the rankings give too much of an advantage to states with a wealthy population. Maryland is one of the nation's richest states.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)