Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter
Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter
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CAT Tracks for January 5, 2007
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From the IEA website...
Education Week’s Quality Counts 2007 Report
In addition to its annual tracking of states’ policies in the areas of standards, assessment and accountability, Education Week this year has produced “From Cradle to Career: Connecting American Education From Birth Through Adulthood.”
Illinois ties for 12th place overall with Kansas and North Dakota in this special report that looks at a child’s chances of lifetime success, focusing on 13 indicators that highlight whether young children get off to a good start, succeed in elementary and secondary school, and hit crucial educational and economic benchmarks as adults. Illinois scored above the national average in preschool enrollment, high school graduation and postsecondary education. In the areas of elementary reading and mathematics proficiency, its state value was not significantly different than the national average. Linguistic integration at 83.1 percent (percent of children whose parents were fluent English-speakers) was the only indicator receiving a value lower than the national average of 84.3 percent. Other factors measured included parent income, parent education and steady employment of adults, ages 25-64.
View the full report online through Jan. 18 at no cost at www.edweek.org
Below are some related news stories:
Report ranks state as prime real estate for school success
By Tara Malone
Whether students learn, graduate and get a good job hinges on more than intelligence and grit. Their address matters, too.
Students’ ability to make something of themselves is determined, in part, by the state they live in, a national study released Wednesday found.
Illinois rounded out the top dozen states nationwide in its efforts to help students succeed in the classroom and beyond, according to an Education Week report, one of the most comprehensive state comparisons available.
Youngsters across the state are more likely to jumpstart their education early than a majority of their peers nationwide, a finding helped by parent employment and education levels that exceed national norms. State education officials also credit an unprecedented push toward universal preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds.
Illinois high school graduates are more likely to attend college and find work than others nationwide, the analysis shows. Statewide, 40 percent of adults hold a two- or four-year college degree.
Yet during the years between such bookends — years spent in elementary and high school — Illinois holds steady with the national trend, according to the report.
“In Illinois, students are off to a pretty good start and then things flatten out during the school years,” said Christopher Swanson, research center director for Editorial Projects in Education, which authored the study.
Judged by 13 yardsticks that measure everything from kindergarten enrollment to average earnings, the report evaluates students’ chances at success. Virginia led the nation while New Mexico fared worst.
Test scores factored into the equation. But traditional rankings based on school funding and teacher training were shelved. In their place came broader measures that portrayed what report authors described as “a leaky pipeline all along the education continuum from cradle to career.”
Illinois’ public education system fell squarely in the middle of the national pack when it came to setting academic targets and holding students and teachers accountable for meeting them.
On an amalgam of test scores in reading and math, high school graduation rates and college-level test scores, Illinois ranked 29th nationwide.
The two-tiered effect of broader access to preschool and stiffer high school graduation requirements likely will boost Illinois’ standing, said Becky Watts, chief of staff for the Illinois State Board of Education. Such gains take time.
“Kids who are in fourth, fifth, sixth grade now didn’t benefit from having preschool for all in place,” Watts said. “You have to keep that commitment and that investment in place.”
Daily Herald Staff Writer
Missouri trails Illinois in child education report
By Angie Leventis
Young people in Illinois have better chances for educational and professional
success than those in Missouri, a national research center reports.
The Quality Counts 2007 report, released Wednesday, ranked all states based on
childhood education, family circumstances, graduation rates, higher education,
employment and other indicators. Illinois ranked 12th and Missouri ranked 33rd.
Missouri was stronger in steady employment for adults and the percent of
children whose parents speak fluent English; it was weaker in preschool and
kindergarten enrollment, as well as parent education.
Illinois was stronger in areas such as preschool enrollment, high school
graduation and post-secondary education, but was one of the weakest states in
terms of parental literacy.
The report was produced by the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center
in Bethesda, Md.
"It's almost a mirror image in some respects," said Christopher Swanson,
director of the research center.
In terms of achievement in kindergarten through high school, the gap between
the two states was more narrow with Illinois ranked 29th and Missouri ranked
34th. Compared with Missouri, Illinois tended to be strong in early education,
weaker in the school years, and then provide more opportunities after high
school.
The highest-ranked states tended to be on the east coast: Virginia, Connecticut
and Minnesota were the top three in opportunities for success; Massachusetts,
New Jersey and Vermont were the top three for K-12 student achievement.
The lowest-ranked states tended to be in the south and southwest: New Mexico,
Louisiana and Arizona were the lowest in opportunities for success;
Mississippi, West Virginia and New Mexico were the lowest in achievement.
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Report gives Indiana's school standards top ranking
ABC7Chicago.com
January 3, 2007 (INDIANAPOLIS) - A new report ranks Indiana's education standards and assessments the best in the nation.
In the annual "Quality Counts" report by Editorial Projects in Education, Indiana is ranked first in quality standards, assessments and accountability. The standards outline exactly what students in each grade should learn.
The report also ranks Indiana 30th in the "chances for success" category, which includes factors such as family income, graduation rates and steady employment. It also ranks the state 31st in elementary and secondary performance and eighth in the "cradle to career" category, which looks at how states align education from early childhood through life after college.
State school superintendent Suellen Reed says the report confirms Indiana has a strong foundation with its educational policies, even though there's still work to do. She says the governor's plan for full-day kindergarten would help.
