 New Tool Provides County-Level Data on Demographics, Education, and the Economy
The Educational Needs Index (ENI) project, funded by Lumina Foundation for Education, is an innovative approach to understanding the public policy challenges that face areas, states, and regions. The project's website offers public access to a unique county-level analysis of educational, economic, and population pressures for all 3,140 U.S. counties or their equivalents.The site provides users with state-level reports, county-level data sets, and query tools that can be used to create peer comparisons.
The data and associated analyses seek to identify counties – urban, suburban, and rural – where educational attainment and economic challenges are exacerbated by robust population growth and shifting demographics. Because demographic, economic, and educational challenges cut across state lines, the ENI allows users to identify regions of the country that are facing comparable pressures. The ENI project has proven to be a valuable public policy tool for researchers, public officials, and education leaders and advocates. Among recent efforts utilizing the ENI are:
- Regional education organizations in their outreach and policy planning discussions,
- Postsecondary leaders when developing strategies to deal with access challenges,
- Organizations seeking to strengthen their grant proposals and build a case for need in a certain area,
- Institutional researchers doing environmental scans,
- State-level and multi-campus systems in their strategic planning,
- Educational systems seeking to establish P-16 regional networks, and
- Various education, economic development, and advocacy groups who use the comparison data at local, regional, and state levels to inform the public debate about the relationship between education and the economy.
For more information about the ENI project or to access state or county data, visit http://www.educationalneedsindex.com.
   
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Good Reads: New Reports
 Getting students ready for college and careers
From the "Challenge to Lead" series, this report from the Southern Regional Education Board asserts that SREB states should ensure that all graduates are ready for further education and the workplace by requiring an essential core of courses traditionally prescribed only for college-bound students, including four years of mathematics. The report offers strategies for states to improve readiness rates and reduce the need for remediation in college.
[Read the report]
 The silent epidemic: Perspectives of high school dropouts
According to a survey by Civic Enterprises, commissioned by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, nearly 90% of dropouts had passing grades when they left school. The major reason cited for dropping out was boring classes. Nearly two-thirds of dropouts say they would have worked harder if expectations had been higher.
[Read the report]
 Breaking ranks in the middle
Building on "Breaking Ranks II: Strategies for Leading High School Reform," a new report from the National Association of Secondary School Principals challenges middle level principals to take responsibility for improving the academic outcomes of all their students and getting them on track for success in high school and beyond. The report includes 9 strategies and 30 recommendations applicable to schools large or small, rural or urban, and also a number of profiles and vignettes of schools that demonstrate the report's recommendations in action.
[Read the report]
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 Announcement: Examples of Excelencia!
Examples of Excelencia is a new national initiative designed to identify, celebrate and promote models, programs, and institutional departments that significantly contribute to improving educational achievement for Latino students in higher education.
The competition is now open and will run until April 15 with nominations accepted online. This year, programs and departments showing evidence of accelerating Latinos student achievement at the following levels are eligible:
- Community Colleges
- Baccalaureate institutions
- Graduate Institutions
2006 Examples of Excelencia will receive $5,000 each and will be honored at the Excelencia symposium (to be held in conjunction with the National College Access Network Conference in September 2006) and will be publicized nationally throughout the year.
To nominate a program as an Example of Excelencia, visit http://www.edexcelencia.org/examples/.
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