Stock Image | Photo by Yobro10/iStock//Keynote USA/Getty Images Plus, St. George News
STREET. JORGE –Utah ranks among the best states in the country for children’s overall well-being, according to a new national report, but experts are emphasizing the need for greater investments in education.
Utah takes third place in this years Kids Counting Fact Book, which examines 16 indicators of economic well-being, education, health, and community and family.
Martin Muñoz, Kids Count director for Voices for Utah Children, says policymakers should be concerned that this year’s data book shows that 63% of Utah fourth graders were not proficient in reading and the 65% of eighth grade students were not proficient in mathematics. He said another problem is chronic absenteeism, which is when a student misses 10% or more days of school.
“The national average is 30% and Utah is at 28%. And in that 28%, we are seeing higher percentages within our minority communities, with Latino students seeing around 37% absenteeism,” Muñoz explained. “But the highest is our Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, at 52%.”
Muñoz said lawmakers should take positive approaches instead of criminalizing students or parents because of attendance issues. He said that through outreach, educators and policymakers could do better to find out what is happening at home that prevents students from getting to the classroom.
The report also recommends that children have access to free or low-cost meals, a reliable Internet connection and a place to study and spend time with friends, teachers and counselors.
Muñoz said the nation’s overall vitality depends on how well states do in terms of equipping children with the foundations and tools they will need to be contributing members of society. He said more can and should be done.
“Education is definitely one of the tools to equalize poverty. Therefore, it is very worrying to see the figures we have, the most current is 2022, and at the local level it is still a concern,” he said.
Leslie Boissiere, vice president of external affairs at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, said the extraordinary drop in learning outcomes from 2019 to 2022 translates to decades of lost progress. She added that it is important for parents to engage with their children as schools and for communities to look for ways to better meet their future needs.
“It’s an all-hands-on-deck moment,” Boissiere said. “Both resources within the school and resources within communities and parent involvement as part of the process to ensure that students have the support they need and that children have the support they need to be successful.”
Written by Alex González, producer of Utah News Connection.
Read the original story here.
Public News Service, all rights reserved.
Since 1996, Public News Service has pioneered a model of member-supported journalism to engage, educate and advocate for the public interest. By combining traditional and new media, we reach audiences across geographic and political divides. Currently, tens of thousands of media outlets receive our content and more than 6,000 nationwide use our stories regularly.
Keynote USA
For the Latest Local News, Follow Keynote USA Local on Twitter.