Education Report Roundup

Comparing School Success

By Debra Viadero — May 12, 2009 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Young children in five New England states—Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Maine—are more likely to succeed in school than children elsewhere in the country, according to a 50-state “school success” index published this month by Save the Children.

The index is the newest feature to be included in the Westport, Conn., organization’s annual “State of the World’s Mothers” report, which compares child-welfare trends in the United States and dozens of developing and industrialized nations. The school success index ranks states on a number of factors, including the percentage of 4th graders scoring at proficient levels on a national test, proportions of children under 5 who are read to at home or enrolled in preschool, and the percentage of young children with healthy mothers. The three lowest-ranked states are New Mexico, Nevada, and Mississippi.

The report also says that the United States is losing ground, compared with other wealthy nations, in educational attainment. Tied for first place in 1995 for the proportion of young adults who have a college degree, the country is now ranked 18th. Among developing nations, the report also notes, 40 percent of children, or more than 200 million, fail to reach their potential for cognitive development because of poverty, poor health, or inadequate care.

A version of this article appeared in the May 13, 2009 edition of Education Week

Events

Mathematics K-12 Essentials Forum Helping Students Succeed in Math
Student Well-Being Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: The Power of Emotion Regulation to Drive K-12 Academic Performance and Wellbeing
Wish you could handle emotions better? Learn practical strategies with researcher Marc Brackett and host Peter DeWitt.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Quiz Trump’s Surprise Freeze on School Funding—How Much Do You Know?
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Quiz What Lowers Teacher Turnover? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Quiz Which State Is About to Pass a ‘Science of Reading’ Law? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Quiz What is a Project 2025 Author Doing at the Education Department? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read