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Government shutdown looms after Trump-backed bill fails; Environmental groups sue CA Air Resources Board over biogas credits; NY elected officials work to electrify municipal buildings; Need a mental health boost? Talking hot dog is here.

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President-elect Trump repeats his threats to jail Jan. 6th committee members, while also putting a stop-gap spending plan in jeopardy. A court removes Fani Willis from Trump's Georgia election interference case. The FAA restricts drones in New Jersey, and a Federal Reserve rate cut shakes markets.

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DE kids rank lower in education, higher in economic well-being

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Monday, June 10, 2024   

Delaware is ranked 31st in the nation for the overall health and welfare of children but its education ranking is much lower at 45th, according to the latest data from the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Kids Count Data Book.

The data show the biggest challenges are in reading and basic math. In 2022, 75% of fourth graders were not proficient in reading, up 14% from two years earlier, and 82% were not proficient in math, up by 11%.

Janice Barlow, Kids Count director at the Center for Community Research and Service at the University of Delaware, said some underlying factors need to be addressed to improve the situation.

"What we can do is, we can equip students to learn by wrapping around services for them," Barlow suggested. "Making sure that they have food to eat, making sure that they have a safe way to get to school, and then resources like tutoring and mental health services."

The economic well-being of Delaware's children has improved, with the percentage of children living in poverty dropping to 13% in 2022 from 19% in 2019.

The report revealed over the 35 years the Kids Count Data Book has been produced, there has never been a significant percentage of children in the country proficient in fourth-grade reading or basic math. Overall, 26% of fourth graders are reading proficiently and about a third are proficient in basic math.

Leslie Boissiere, vice president of external affairs for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, said as a country, we are failing to prepare our children for the competitive global workforce, which will ultimately hurt the economy.

"If you look at the industries and the jobs where there is significant growth, and where wages are significant, they're largely STEM-related fields," Boissiere pointed out. "Even fields that don't require as much as a Bachelor's degree."

Boissiere added further analysis revealed ongoing disparities for children of color and emphasized reversing the trend could result in a significant increase in the gross domestic product.

Disclosure: The Annie E. Casey Foundation contributes to our fund for reporting on Children's Issues, Education, Juvenile Justice, and Welfare Reform. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


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