Smartest State

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The state rankings were announced in the "Education State Rankings 2006-2007," released by Lawrence, Kan.-based Morgan Quitno Press, an independent research and publishing company.

Vermont retained its title as the nation's smartest state for the second year, while Arizona held the title of being the lowest-ranked of the 50 states.

The Smartest State Award is based on nearly two dozen elementary and secondary education indicators from Education State Rankings, an annual reference book comparing the states in education-related categories. The 2006 award measured states in areas as instruction expenditures, teacher-pupil ratios, graduation and dropout rates, and proficiency in reading, writing and math, the publisher said.

Top states after Vermont, which earned the title for a second straight year, were Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey and Maine, the publisher said. Arizona was preceded by Nevada, Mississippi, California and Alaska in the bottom tier.
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