8/18/11

Annie E. Casey Foundation: red states failing their children

Nobody should be surprised by this piece in the Missoulian:
Montana received the worst rankings in its five-state region in key child health and well-being indicators, the Annie E. Casey Foundation reported in the 2011 Kids Count Data Book released Wednesday. In contrast, North Dakota ranked 10th, South Dakota 21st, Idaho 22nd and Wyoming 28th. "It's not the best news," state Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau said. Since taking office in 2009, Juneau has launched a statewide effort called Graduation Matters aimed at reducing the dropout rate. Legislators this year rejected her proposal to require students to remain in school until they are 18 years old or graduate from high school. Students now can drop out at age 16.
Note that the states at the bottom have the highest numbers of minority children.

4 comments:

freegan said...

Its not the state that responsible or at fault, the parents are at fault. Parents have fail because society has failed, we no longer think (as a society) about much other than profit. As parents its nothing other than entertainment. The system has fail and public education is a part of that system. We need to rethink our ed systems. I think that tax credits for alternative education cost can and will help with this. Bottom line is unless the parents "get it" the kids probable will not. The most important learning time in ones life is from birth to "school age". This is the time for building the foundation to continue to build upon.

larry kurtz said...

Exactly. You made my point for me, bro. Tax credits for alternative education? Like listening to NPR, for example, instead of FOX?

freegan said...

Ron Paul actually introduced H.R. 956: Education Improvement Tax Cut Act: The act would allow a $5,000 tax credits for private and homeschooling. This would be great if used properly and not abused.

Deirdre said...

Parents need to be involved in their children's lives. I am a big fan of public education, but as parents, we are the public. When one works at it, you would be amazed at how much influence you can bring to your child's public education. First lesson: Learning does not stop at school. For kids or parents. If other parents don't care enough to be involved in their kids' lives, then you have to be 10 times more involved. People who abandon their children with no input should have no advise or admonishment to level.