America's Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2010
Education
Education shapes the personal growth and life chances of our children, as well as the economic and social progress of our Nation. Early educational experiences of young children, such as being read to daily, encourage the development of essential skills and prepare children for success in school. Later aspects of academic performance, such as mastering academic subjects, completing high school, and enrolling in college, provide opportunities for further education and future employment. Youth who are neither enrolled in school nor working is a measure of the proportion of young people at risk of limiting their future prospects.
In 2007, 55 percent of children ages 3–5 who were not yet in kindergarten were read to daily by a family member. The percentage of children in families with incomes at or above 200 percent of the poverty level who were read to daily was 64 percent in 2007. This was higher than the percentages of children in families with incomes below the poverty level (40 percent) or those in families with incomes at 100–199 percent of the poverty level (50 percent).
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) measures national trends in student performance in mathematics, reading, and other academic subjects. The average 4th-grade NAEP mathematics score in 2009 was higher than the score in 1990, but unchanged from the score in 2007 (Figure 12). The average 8th-grade mathematics score in 2009 was higher than the score in all previous assessment years and 2 points higher than the score in 2007. The average NAEP reading score at grade 4 increased by 4 points, from 217 to 221 (on a scale of 0–500) between 1992 and 2009, but was unchanged from the average score in 2007. At grade 8, the 2009 average reading score (264) was 4 points higher than the score in 1992 and 1 point higher than the average score in 2007.
Figure 12: Average mathematics scale scores for students in grades 4 and 8, selected years 1990–2009
NOTE: Data are available for 1990, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2009. In early years of the assessment, testing accommodations (e.g., extended time, small group testing) for children with disabilities and limited-English-proficient students were not permitted. In 1996, scores are shown for both the assessments with and without accommodations to show comparability across the assessments.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress.
Detachment from school and employment, activities that usually occupy teenagers, puts youth at increased risk of having lower earnings and a less stable employment history than their peers who stayed in school, secured jobs, or both.30 In an average week during the 2009 school year, 9 percent of youth ages 16–19 were neither enrolled in school nor working (Figure 13). Black, non-Hispanic (12 percent) and Hispanic (13 percent) youth were more likely to be neither enrolled nor working than were White, non-Hispanic youth (7 percent). In 2009, youth ages 18–19 were more than three times as likely to be detached from school and work activities as youth ages 16–17 (15 percent vs. 4 percent).
Figure 13: Percentage of youth ages 16–19 who are neither enrolled in school nor working by gender and race and Hispanic origin, 1985–2009
NOTE: The information relates to the labor force and enrollment status of persons 16–19 years old in the civilian noninstitutionalized population during an "average" week of the school year. School refers to both high school and college. For data before 2003, the 1977 Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Standards for Data on Race and Ethnicity were used to classify persons into one of the following four racial groups: White, Black, American Indian or Alaskan Native, or Asian or Pacific Islander. The revised 1997 OMB standards were used for data for 2003 and later years. Persons could select one or more of five racial groups: White, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. Beginning in 2003, those in each racial category represent those reporting only one race. Data from 2003 onward are not directly comparable with data from earlier years. Data on race and Hispanic origin are collected separately. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.
SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey.
In 2008, 90 percent of young adults ages 18–24 had completed high school. This represents an increase from 1980, when 84 percent had completed high school.31 During this period, the high school completion rate increased from 88 to 94 percent for White, non-Hispanics and from 75 to 87 percent for Black, non-Hispanics.32 While the rate for Hispanic young adults has been consistently lower than for other racial and ethnic groups, it increased from 57 percent in 1980 to 76 percent in 2008.
In 2008, 69 percent of high school completers enrolled in a 2-year or 4-year college immediately after high school graduation, an increase from 49 percent in 1980. Between 1980 and 2008, the immediate enrollment rate of high school completers increased from 50 to 72 percent for White, non-Hispanics and from 43 to 56 percent for Black, non-Hispanics. Among Hispanics,33 the immediate enrollment rate fluctuated between 1980 and 1999. Since 1999, the moving average for Hispanics has increased steadily, from 48 percent in 1999 to 62 percent in 2007.
30 Brown, B. (1996). Who are America's disconnected youth? Report prepared for the American Enterprise Institute. Washington, DC: Child Trends, Inc.
31 Refers to those who completed 12 years of school for survey years 1980–1991 and to those who earned a high school diploma or equivalent (e.g., a General Educational Development [GED] certificate) for all years since 1992.
32 In this survey, respondents were asked to choose one or more races. All race groups discussed in this paragraph refer to people who indicated only one racial identity. Hispanic young adults may be of any race.
33 Due to small sample sizes, a 3-year moving average is used to measure the trend for Hispanics.