For most American parents, local education issues are most pressing — what matters above all is the quality of education that their children are getting. This year, many school districts are facing additional cuts because of large state budget deficits. Below is a state-by-state listing of education departments. Use these state web sites to find the names of your local officials and for information on school funding initiatives and programs for your area.

The No Child Left Behind Act puts increased emphasis on school performance on standardized tests in funding decisions. The Department of Education tracks this information in The Nation's Report Card. The map below links to your state's detailed results for fourth and eighth-grade students in math, reading, science and writing.

The Report Card also contains statistics for selected fourth and eighth and twelfth-grade students in arts, civics, economics, U.S. history and world history and information on national standards and how the tests were scored. You can find sample test questions and take a stab at gauging for yourself how effective standardized testing may be in measuring educational progress. For example:

• Give two reasons why early civilizations flourished in the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. (eighth-grade geography)
• Identify and Explain Function of Rule and Law. (fourth-grade civics)
• Luis mixed 6 ounces of cherry syrup with 53 ounces of water to make a cherry-flavored drink, Martin mixed 5 ounces of the same cherry syrup with 42 ounces of water. Who made the drink with the stronger cherry flavor? Give mathematical evidence to justify your answer. (twelfth-grade mathematics)

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Alabama Alabama Department of Education Nation's Report Card: Alabama Alaska Alaska Department of Education and Early Development Nation's Report Card: Alaska Arkansas Arkansas Department of Education Nation's Report Card: Arkansas Arizona Arizona Department of Education Nation's Report Card: Arizona California California Department of Education Nation's Report Card: California Colorado Colorado Department of Education Nation's Report Card: Colorado Connecticut Connecticut Department of Education Nation's Report Card: Connecticut Washington, D.C. District of Columbia Public Schools Nation's Report Card: District of Columbia Delaware Delaware Department of Education Nation's Report Card: Delaware Florida Florida Department of Education Nation's Report Card: Florida Georgia Georgia Department of Education Nation's Report Card: Georgia Hawaii Hawai'i Department of Education Nation's Report Card: Hawai'i Iowa Iowa Department of Education Idaho Idaho Department of Education Nation's Report Card: Idaho Illinois Illinois State Board of Education Nation's Report Card: Illinois Indiana Indiana Department of Education Nation's Report Card: Indiana Kansas Kansas Department of Education Nation's Report Card: Kansas Kentucky Kentucky Department of Education Nation's Report Card: Kentucky Louisiana Louisiana Department of Education Nation's Report Card: Louisiana Massachusetts Massachusetts Department of Education Nation's Report Card: Massachusetts Maryland Maryland Department of Education Nation's Report Card: Maryland Maine Maine Department of Education Nation's Report Card: Maine Michigan Michigan Department of Education Nation's Report Card: Michigan Minnesota Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning Nation's Report Card: Minnesota Missouri Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Nation's Report Card: Missouri Mississippi Mississippi Department of Education Nation's Report Card: Mississippi Montana Montana's Education Telecommunications Network Nation's Report Card: Montana North Carolina Public Schools of North Carolina Nation's Report Card: North Carolina North Dakota North Dakota Department of Public Instruction Nation's Report Card: North Dakota Nebraska Nation's Report Card: Nebraska Nebraska Department of Education New Hampshire New Hampshire Department of Education Nation's Report Card: New Hampshire New Jersey New Jersey Department of Education Nation's Report Card: New Jersey New Mexico New Mexico State Department of Education Nation's Report Card: New Mexico New York New York State Department of Education Nation's Report Card: New York Nevada Nevada Department of Education Nation's Report Card: Nevada Ohio Ohio Department of Education Nation's Report Card: Ohio Oklahoma Oklahoma State Department of Education Nation's Report Card: Oklahoma Oregon Oregon Department of Education Nation's Report Card: Oregon Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Department of Education Nation's Report Card: Pennsylvania Rhode Island Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Nation's Report Card: Rhode Island South Carolina South Carolina Department of Education Nation's Report Card: South Carolina South Dakota South Dakota Department of Education and Cultural Affairs Nation's Report Card: South Dakota Tennessee Tennessee Department of Education Nation's Report Card: Tennessee Texas Texas Education Agency Nation's Report Card: Texas Utah Utah State Office of Education Nation's Report Card: Utah Virginia Virginia Department of Education Nation's Report Card: Virginia Vermont Vermont Department of Education Nation's Report Card: Vermont Washington Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction Nation's Report Card: Washington Wisconsin Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Nation's Report Card: Wisconsin West Virginia West Virginia Department of Education Nation's Report Card: West Virginia Wyoming Education in Wyoming Nation's Report Card: Wyoming