ST. CROIX, U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) – According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which released its national 2024 KIDS COUNT© Data Book on June 10th. The failure of the U.S. to prepare our kids to learn could cost our children hundreds of billions of dollars in future earnings and the U.S. economy trillions in lost activity.
The 2024 KIDS COUNT Data Book is a 50-state report of recent household data developed by Annie E. Casey Foundation analyzing how children and families are performing post-pandemic. (Note that the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) is not part of the rankings in the KIDS COUNT Data Book as it draws data from the American Community Survey, which is not conducted in the territory.
The U.S. Virgin Islands is included in the KIDS COUNT © Data Center (https://datacenter.aecf.org/), which houses key data points on child well-being across the nation.) The annual report also sheds light on other challenges, including those surrounding education, health, and the economy, that are affecting American children. Each year, the Data Book presents national and state data from 16 indicators in four domains — economic well-being, education, health, and family and community factors. It ranks the states according to how children are faring overall.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation recommends the following:
To get children back on track, we must make sure they arrive at the classroom ready to learn by ensuring access to low- or no-cost meals, a reliable internet connection, a place to study and time with friends, teachers and counselors.
Expand access to intensive tutoring for students who are behind in their classes and missing academic milestones. Research has shown that the most effective tutoring is in person, in high dosage, and tied directly to the school.
States should use all their allocated pandemic relief funding to prioritize students' social, emotional, academic, and physical well-being. As long as funds are obligated by the Sept. 30 deadline, states should have two more full years to spend them.
States and school systems should address chronic absence so more students return to learn. While few states gather and report chronic absence data by grade, they all should. Improving attendance tracking and data will inform future decision-making. Lawmakers should embrace positive approaches rather than criminalizing students or parents due to attendance challenges because they may not understand the consequences of even a few days missed.
Policymakers should invest in community schools and public schools that provide wraparound support to children and families. Natural homes for tutoring, mental health support, nutritional aid and other services, community schools use innovative and creative programs to support young learners and encourage parent engagement, which leads to better outcomes for all.
For a full report, view the whole story here:
https://www.stxfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Model-Schools-Initiative-Report- StxFoundation_v2016.pdf
コメント