This week's PEN Weekly NewsBlast carried the following information  
about a study based on a "'Chance-for-Success Index,' which tracks  
state efforts to connect education from preschool through  
postsecondary education and provides a perspective on the importance  
of education throughout a person’s lifetime." I found it interesting  
and hope you will, too. If you visit the Web site listed below, you  
can see where your state is ranked and view its highlights report.

CONNECTING AMERICAN EDUCATION FROM BIRTH TO ADULTHOOD
A child born in Virginia is significantly more likely to experience  
success throughout life than the average child born in the United  
States, while a child born in New Mexico is likely to face an  
accumulating series of hurdles both educationally and economically,  
according to an analysis published by Education Week. The analysis by  
the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center is based on the  
"Chance-for-Success Index," which tracks state efforts to connect  
education from preschool through postsecondary education and provides  
a perspective on the importance of education throughout a person’s  
lifetime. The index is based on 13 indicators that highlight whether  
young children get off to a good start, succeed in elementary and  
secondary school, and hit key educational and income benchmarks as  
adults. Virginia, Connecticut, Minnesota, New Jersey, Maryland,  
Massachusetts, and New Hampshire rank at the top of the index, while  
Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, Arizona, Louisiana, and New  
Mexico lag significantly behind the national average in descending  
order. The 13 indicators that make up the index capture key  
performance or attainment outcomes at various stages in a person’s  
lifetime or are correlated with later success. In general, the report  
finds far more activity in the early years. Forty-one states and the  
District of Columbia report having early-learning standards that are  
aligned with the academic expectations for elementary schools.  
Thirteen states have a formal definition of school readiness; 16  
require districts to assess the readiness of entering students; and  
18 have interventions for children not meeting school-readiness  
expectations. In contrast, while many states report that they are  
working to better align high school graduation requirements with  
college- and workforce-readiness standards, many of those efforts  
have yet to reach fruition.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/toc/2007/01/04/index.html




Gail J. Price
Multimedia Specialist
National Center for Family Literacy
325 West Main Street, Suite 300
Louisville, KY 40205

Phone: 502 584-1133, ext. 112
Fax: 502 584-0172


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