DUNCE: NYT article touts D.C. education level by citing school systems not in D.C.

From a weekend article in the New York Times on "Why D.C. is doing so well":

If you wanted to imagine what the economy might look like if the country were much better educated, you can look at Washington.

Thanks to strong public-school and higher-education systems in Maryland and Virginia, the area’s teenagers are much more likely to enter and graduate from college than teenagers elsewhere. Even the city’s troubled school system has improved somewhat.

In terms of education, looking at Washington is a lot like looking at the sun. Which is to say, don't actually look at it. Look a bit to the left or right and you won't cry.

On standardized test, students in D.C.'s public school system perform under the national average in math, reading and writing. That's despite the city spending more per pupil than any other system in the country.

[New York Times]