Helping Public Schools Rise: Rankings on Integrity in State Education (RISE)
American students and parents face a wide variety of challenges in today’s society: gender ideology introduced for the youngest students, elements of anti-racism and critical race theory embedded into curricula and standards, union influence on teachers, foreign funding undermining learning, and more. Defending Education’s Rankings on Integrity in State Education (RISE) compares how state governments are handling these issues and what they are doing to protect students and families, and keep public education in the best interest of students.
We scored all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia on five major education categories (gender and sexuality, “diversity, equity, and inclusion”, parental rights, teacher policies, and foreign influence), and ranked them based on their performance. Tennessee earns the top score in 2026, while Illinois ranks the worst, only over the District of Columbia which takes the 51st spot.
