United Way Education Report

Community Needs 20

& Trends Assessment 11

education report United Way of Greater Kansas City

INTRODUCTION

Educational attainment is a strong predictor for many of the factors that affect a person’s quality of life, including income level, health status, and civic engagement. When every child and youth has the opportunity to receive a quality education and will be ready to be a productive and constructive member of the community, everyone benefits—both the persons receiving the education and the communities in which they live.

Education is a key component in equipping young people with the skills necessary to successfully enter the workforce and succeed in a future economy. It is estimated that 95 million baby boomers will leave the U.S. workforce between 2010 and 2025, with only 40 million young Americans being available to replace retiring workers.1 Yet a variety of test scores and assessments suggest that American youth are not ready to meet the needs of the future workforce. The majority of 4th and 8th graders in the U.S. are not proficient in both math and reading in any state in the nation.2 In a 2006 survey of students in 30 developed countries, U.S. 15-year-olds ranked 25th in math and 21st in science.3 Gaining the knowledge and skills needed for the future are affected by more than the school and the student— success is also affected by the environment within which that child or youth lives. All children and youth need access to adequate supports from birth through adolescence that aid their optimal learning in order to succeed in school and subsequently in the workforce.

How

to

Use This Report

United Way of Greater Kansas City works to ensure that people across the Greater Kansas City area have all the building blocks for a good life: Education, Income and Health. For the Education area, this document is the 2011 assessment of the critical needs and trends that challenge this region’s ability to ensure that all children and youth have the foundation and supports they need to attain their full potential.

Needs data and best practice research were examined and compiled at the national, state and county levels, with a laser focus on issues directly relevant to the six-county, bi-state region – Cass, Clay, Jackson, and Platte in Missouri and Johnson and Wyandotte in Kansas. You will find regional data that examines not only educational attainment trends, but also an examination of the critical challenges and supports that prepare children and youth to succeed in school and life.

To achieve the common good, United Way seeks to be a catalyst for action in every community. We invite you to share this information with others – using it as a tool to advocate for positive community change that results in more children and youth across our region achieving their full potential.

2

2011 Community Needs & Trends Assessment

Education:

the link to quality of life

Education is linked to multiple quality of life indicators. Level of educational attainment is perhaps the strongest predictor of one’s level of income —simply said, the higher the level of educational attainment, the higher the future income level regardless of gender or race and ethnicity. Income level in turn affects the tax contributions of that person to their community and its amenities. The education of all children and youth become not just the concern of immediate family members, but also that of the broader community. Tax revenue based on income supports education for future residents, safety net services, and infrastructure for the entire community.

Level of educational attainment is also strongly related to self-reported health status. As educational attainment rises, health status improves and mortality rates decrease on average.4 And, those who have higher educational attainment are less likely to use public programs such as Medicaid, and typically have higher paying jobs that provide medical insurance. Finally, higher levels of educational attainment are associated with greater civic engagement, including levels of voting and volunteerism.5

Education:

the cost benefit analysis

The investment in educational opportunities for children and youth is a significant portion of the annual state budgets for Kansas and Missouri. An analysis of the return demonstrates that it is a good investment.

The economic benefits of a high school education are 2.5 times greater than the costs.

Research confirms that for each new high school graduate, the public benefit would be $209,000 in higher government revenues and lower government spending for an overall initial investment of $82,000 – with a net public benefit of $127,000 per graduate. Levin and colleagues at Columbia University examined the cost benefit of education to the community in 2007 by examining the lifetime benefits of high school graduation and the costs of public education and specific interventions shown to raise high school graduation rates.

Comparison of Median Income for Adults (ages 18-67) by Educational Attainment Not completing high school is strongly related to multiple negative outcomes, most clearly, one’s level of income. Among adults ages 18 to 67 in the U.S. who have not completed high school, lifetime earnings are $630,000 less than those who graduate from high school. The median income for those who had not finished high school was approximately $23,000 a year in 2008. In contrast, the median income for those in the same age group who had completed their education with at least a high school credential, including earning a General Education Development (GED) certificate, was almost twice that or $42,000 a year. 6

Those without a high school diploma are more likely to be unemployed and report poorer health.

Beyond absolute income, not completing high school has additional negative outcomes. Comparing those who have at least a high school credential and those who do not, those without are more likely to be unemployed, report poorer health regardless of income, and be in prison or on death row. As a result, not having at least a high school credential is costly to the entire community because of lower tax contributions, higher reliance on public health care and public assistance programs, and higher rates of criminal activity.7 Those who do not complete high school cost the economy $240,000 more on average compared to those who do over their lifetime.

Education Report

United Way of Greater Kansas City

3

EDUCATION ATTAINMENT TRENDS 1 in 10 adults (25 years or older) had no high school diploma in 2009.

Distribution of Educational Attainment 6-County Kansas City Area, 2009

Locally, the proportion of the adult population that has attained at least some college education or greater has grown since 2000. In the six-county Kansas City area, 64 percent of adults 25 years or older had at least some college education in 2009, compared to 60 percent in 2000. However, one in 10, or approximately 121,600 adults, had less than a high school diploma—putting them and their families at increased risk for poverty and poor health.

Graduate or professional degree

12%

No High School diploma

10%

Bachelor’s degree

Demonstrating the link between poverty and education, the poverty rate triples from 8 percent to 26 percent for adults ages 25 and over with less than a high school diploma. This rate is even greater among females who have less than a high school diploma; they have a 31 percent poverty rate. In contrast, adults with a four-year degree or higher have a three percent rate of poverty.

High school diploma

22%

26% Some college or AA degree

29%

Poverty Rate for Adults (age 25+) without High School Education, 2009

Male

38.2%

32.7%

29.9% 23.2%

20.1%

22.8%

25%

23.1%

19.9%

16.8% 6.4%

6.2% Johnson

4

Wyandotte

Cass

Female

Clay

Jackson

2011 Community Needs & Trends Assessment

Platte

Education Overview

for

Greater Kansas City

In the six-county Kansas City area, there are 42 public school districts. Of the more than 460,000 children and youth under the age of 18 years, approximately 78 percent were enrolled in public schools (preschool through 12th grade) in the 2009-2010 school year. Graduation rates in the public school districts between 2004 and 2009 remained relatively steady, with almost 9 in 10 students entering high school as a freshman graduating. There is some variability across the six counties, with rates in Cass, Jackson and Johnson Counties slightly improving between 2004 and 2009. In Clay, Platte and Wyandotte Counties, rates declined by one or more percentage points.8

High School completion, 6-County Kansas City Area, 2009 Percentage of Freshmen that Graduated 4 Years Later

Johnson

Wyandotte

Cass

Clay

Jackson

Platte

95%

90%

88%

86%

83%

81%

Drop Outs

Regardless of relatively good graduation rates across the region, about 2,500 students who begin as freshmen drop out each year and do not graduate from high school. The drop out rate for the six-county area was 2.5 per 100 students enrolled in the 2008-09 school year. Rates vary by county from a high of 4.4 students per 100 in Jackson County to one student per 100 in Johnson County.

Almost 1,600 3rd graders in the six-county Kansas City area read at the lowest assessed level in the 2009-10 school year.

Third Grade Reading

In the six-county Kansas City area, almost 1,600 3rd graders were reading at the lowest assessment category (academic warning in Kansas, below basic in Missouri) and were at increased risk for not graduating from high school. Mastery of reading by the end of third grade is a strong predictor of whether or not a student subsequently graduates from high school. Nationally, 1 in 6 children who are not reading proficiently in 3rd grade does not graduate from high school on time, a rate four times greater than that for proficient or better readers. The outcome for those reading at the lowest category is even poorer—23 percent or almost one in four drop out or fail to finish high school on time. And experiencing poverty during the school years multiplies the impact of not reading at grade level—26 percent of students not reading proficiently in third grade who live in poverty for at least a year will not finish high school.

Education Report

United Way of Greater Kansas City

5

Postsecondary Education Four-year college graduates make almost twice as much as those who have not Almost 2 in 5 area adults ages attended college. For the individual, the wage benefits are clear regardless of race 18-24 are enrolled in college. and ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status or familial configuration. Four-year graduates are more likely to be employed than non-graduates, and when unemployed are likely to find new jobs faster. The broader community also benefits from more college graduates—with greater incomes, four-year graduates pay more taxes to support local services and infrastructure, buy more goods and services, and rely less on government supports such as social service programs like Medicaid and Temporary Aid for Needy Families.9 In the six-county Kansas City area, 37 percent of young adults ages 18 to 24 are enrolled in either public or private college or graduate school. The enrollment rate is slightly higher for females than males across the metropolitan area, with 39 percent of females being enrolled versus 34 percent of males.

4-year college graduates have estimated average lifetime earnings of $3.4 million; those with a high school diploma, $1.8 million.

Percent of 18-24 Year Olds Enrolled in College or Graduate School, 2009 Enrolled males, 18-24

Enrolled females, 18-24 47%

44%

43%

43% 39%

25%

25%

39%

39% 38% 29%

34%

31%

22%

Johnson

Wyandotte

Cass

Clay

Jackson

Platte

Six-county total

Encouraging and removing barriers to enrollment in college will reduce future generations’ likelihood of living in poverty.

Postsecondary education is seen as a significant tool in breaking intergenerational poverty with parental education documented to be the single most important factor influencing their children’s future income—more important than race, health or family assets.10

6

2011 Community Needs & Trends Assessment

education supports and challenges Multiple factors predict the likelihood that children are well prepared to enter school and equipped to take advantage of the education offered to them. Even after entering their school-age years, children and youth spend only roughly 27 percent of their time in school. Imagine the education sector as a pipeline. Not only must communities grapple with how to fix any leaks in their education pipeline, but also examine new and better ways to insulate it.

Š Copyright Forum for Youth Investment, 2008-1010.

Parenting

From birth, the way a parent interacts with a child impacts their development. A positive and nurturing environment allows babies to respond to their environment with warmth, trust, and curiosity. Harsh or ineffective parenting skills have been shown to result in aggressive behavior and poor social skills which then often contribute to poorer academic achievement. An environment full of stressful factors such as ineffective parenting, substance abuse, domestic violence or poverty can contribute to increased risk for poorer learning, behavior and health outcomes for a child.11 This is true not only among infants and toddlers, but also throughout high school and college. For example, positive parenting skills have been linked to higher 8th grade scores, fewer suspensions, a reduced likelihood of dropping out of school and greater likelihood of being enrolled in college.12

Education Report

United Way of Greater Kansas City

7

Quality child care costs $7,000 per year for preschoolers in 2010; $10,000 for infants.

Parents

in the

Workforce

One of the challenges to assuring that each child has a positive and nurturing environment throughout early development is the large proportion of children whose parents are working outside of the homes, and thus, must seek childcare. In the six-county region in 2009, more than two in three (69 percent) children under the age of 6 lived in a household in which all adults were working outside the home. For children and youth ages 6 to 17, 76 percent lived in households where all parents were working. Many parents must find childcare or youth development programs that will not only keep their children safe and supervised, but will also provide quality learning and development opportunities.

More than 2 in 3 children under the age of 6 years live in households where all adults work outside the home.

Child Care Access

and

Affordability

Finding quality child care is often complicated by its costs—typically a significant portion of most families’ monthly budget. According to the Mid-America Council on Early Learning, the average cost of center-based care for a preschool child in the Kansas City area in 2010 was about $7,000 per year. This is comparable to the tuition costs for a full year at a four-year public college or university. School-age care at center-based settings averages over $5,700 per year. The highest costs are associated with infant care, where center-based care costs on average $10,000 annually. A family of four with an infant and preschooler in care and with household income close to the regional median in 2009 ($54,500), could spend over 30 percent of its annual income on child care. For many families, especially lower-income families, such costs are simply not affordable.13

Quality Early Learning

The cost benefit of high quality early childhood programs clearly makes the case for its value, both for the community and most importantly for the child and his or her future success. For every $1 invested in high quality pre-kindergarten programming, the taxpayers saved up to $7 in reduced need for remedial and special education, public assistance, and criminal justice services, according to research.14 Early investments in pre-kindergarten child care have also been shown to increase high school graduation rates, reduce grade repetition and placement into special education, and improve standardized test scores.15 And, the effects of high quality pre-kindergarten programming goes beyond the school year— as adults, those who attended high quality programs were more likely to be employed, had greater incomes, and were less likely to be arrested for a violent crime or become pregnant as a teenager than their peers who did not attend prekindergarten programs.

8

2011 Community Needs & Trends Assessment

Head Start

and

Early Head Start

Head Start and Early Head Start are evidence-based early learning programs that are specifically for low-income families with children 5 years of age or younger. Over 5,000 children in the six-county Kansas City area are enrolled in Head Start or Early Head Start. The majority of children enrolled are in Head Start, which targets 3- to 5-year-olds.

Almost 4,200 preschoolers were enrolled in Head Start in the 2010-2011 school year. In that same year approximately 1,550 children were on waiting lists to enroll in the program due to funding limitations.

1 in 3 K-12th grade students in Kansas and Missouri take care of themselves after school.

Out-of-School Time Learning Opportunities Almost one-half million kindergarteners through 12th graders in the states of Kansas and Missouri were responsible for taking care of themselves after school—having no adult supervision between when they leave school and their parents arrive home, based on 2009 data. In years past, after school meant time to play with neighborhood friends, complete homework, and get a snack all under the watchful eye of a parent. But with three out of four school-age children living in households in which both parents work, having a parent at home when school ends is now the exception.

Unsupervised time after school puts youth at increased risk for becoming victims of crimes or accidents, in addition to falling behind academically, engaging in substance abuse, teen pregnancy, gangs and dropping out of school.

Yet, only 12 to 13 percent of school-age children and youth are enrolled in after-school programs in Kansas and Missouri.16 After-school programming most often provides three key services: safety, academic support and healthy youth development opportunities. Research on youth who participate in after school programming finds that they improve significantly in three major areas: feelings and attitudes, indicators of behavioral adjustment and school performance.17 Only 1 in 8 children and youth ages 5-18 in Kansas and Missouri reported having access to out-ofschool time programming in 2009. At the same time, one in three reports that they would be likely to participate, if an afternoon program were available in their community.18 National data finds that on average, parents miss 8 days of work per year due to a lack of out-of-school time programming, which can cost businesses up to $300 billion in decreased worker productivity each year. Quality out-of-school time programming can boost not only students’ likelihood of academic success and self-confidence and esteem, but it can also reduce parents’ and their employers’ stress and costs.

Education Report

United Way of Greater Kansas City

9

1 in 3 children and youth in the 6-county Kansas City area live in a household with income below 200% of the federal poverty level.

Childhood Poverty

An increasing number of children and youth in the Kansas City area are living in households that are low or very low-income—creating challenges to accessing quality child care and youth development activities. Almost 78,000 children and youth under the age of 18 lived below the poverty level in 2009 (about $18,500 for a family of three). An additional 83,000 lived in households with income between 100 and 200 percent of the poverty level. Together, this accounted for 36 percent of the area’s children.

The six-county area had a poverty rate of 11.7 percent in 2009, up from 10.1 percent in 2008. For residents under age 18, poverty was 17.2 percent in 2009 and 14.0 percent in 2008. One in five children under the age of 6 years lived below the poverty level in 2009, up from about 1 in 8 in 2008.

Poverty Rates for population under age 25, 6-county kansas city region, 2000-09 2000 2009

20.6%

13%

16.4%

19.4%

14.4%

11.9%

9.8%

11.7%

15.2% 8.6%

Under age 6

Ages 6-11

Ages 12-17

Ages 18-24

Total Population

Children, especially very young children, are the area’s poorest age group.

Poverty, both the number and rate, is growing faster for children and youth than other age groups. Between 2008 and 2009, the number of poor children increased by 15,500, accounting for almost one-half the total increase in poverty in the six-county area. Reflecting the trend of growing suburban poverty, more than one-half of the child poverty growth was in the suburban counties, with Johnson County accounting for more than 80 percent of the suburban increase.

10

2011 Community Needs & Trends Assessment

Number of children and youth (AGES 0-17) living in households with income below the poverty level, 2008 and 2009

2008 2009

Johnson

Wyandotte

Cass

Clay

Jackson

Platte

6,933 13,754

11,927 13,135

1,961 3,105

4,643 5,779

34,546 40,452

2,274 1,509

In half of the school districts in the 6-county Kansas City area, more than 1 in 3 students are enrolled in the school lunch program.

Children in single parent households are more likely to live in poverty than those in two parent households, and those living in households headed by females are at the greatest risk. From 2000 to 2009, the number of children living in single parent households increased at almost three times the rate of the number of children overall. As a result, nearly one in three children in the six-county area lived in a single parent household in 2009; nearly three in four poor children lived in a single parent household.

Poverty has been clearly linked to negative impacts on academic success and educational attainment through such household conditions as inadequate food and unstable housing situations. The growth in poverty and hunger among children and youth is demonstrated by the growth of students who are receiving free and reduced meals within this area’s public schools. Between the 2001-2002 school year and the 2010-2011 school year, the number of students receiving free or reduced meals increased 51 percent, while overall enrollment increased only 9 percent.

Forty percent, or more than 115,000 public school students, benefited from these meals, which often provided two of three of their daily meals five times each week. This is consistent with the growth in child poverty overall; the percentage increase in area child poverty between 2000 and 2009 was 60 percent.

School Lunch Program Participation Rate 100 80 60

Wyandotte Jackson Cass

40 20 0 2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

Education Report

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

2009-10

Clay Platte Johnson

2010-11

United Way of Greater Kansas City

11

Homelessness

Homelessness was a reality for almost 6,400 children and youth attending public schools in the six-county Kansas City area in the 2010-2011 school year. Homeless students represent two percent of enrolled students.

Stable housing plays a pivotal role in the overall health and well-being of children and youth, and thus those who are without stable housing and other co-occurring challenges are at risk for multiple problems including poor educational outcomes, according to the National Center for Children in Poverty’s report “Homeless Children and Youth: Causes and Consequences.�

Children and youth who are homeless are more likely to have to repeat grades, change schools three to five times in a 12 month period, and miss a week or more of school in a three month period. This in turn leads to a greater likelihood of testing below their grade level in reading, spelling, and mathematics; needing special education services; and not completing high school.19

Non-English Speakers

Language barriers are an increasing challenge for many school districts in the six-county Kansas City area as children and youth who enter school speaking a language other than English have to overcome this significant barrier to learning. While it is difficult to quantify the total number of languages in all 42 school districts in the area, a sampling from several of the larger districts in the region demonstrates the challenge language can be for the education system.

More than 1 in 50 area public school students is homeless.

Homeless Students in Public Schools by County, 2010-11 School Year

Cass...............320 Clay................681 Jackson.......2,647 Platte.............228 Johnson..........902 Wyandotte...1,579

Number of Languages Spoken, by School district

Independence.......................21 Kansas City, Missouri............44 North Kansas City..................55 Shawnee Mission...................67

An estimated 11 percent of children ages 9-17 have a functional impairment.

Mental

and

Behavioral Health

Mental and behavioral health issues are also a barrier for many students. Appropriate treatment and intervention for children with such difficulties has been shown to lessen the impact of mental health problems on school achievement, relationships with family members and peers, and risk for substance abuse.20 Estimating how many children and youth have a mental or addictive disorder is challenging given that any diagnostic criteria incorporates the degree of functional impairment. It is estimated that 11 percent of children ages 9 to 17 have a diagnosable mental or addictive disorder that results in significant functional impairment. Based on this estimate, approximately 24,750 school-age children and youth in the six-county Kansas City area have a diagnosable mental or addictive disorder that resulted in significant impairments at home, at school, and with peers.

12

2011 Community Needs & Trends Assessment

Implications for Community Leaders and Policymakers Ensuring that all Kansas City children and youth enter adulthood with the education, skills and developmental opportunities that they need to succeed is a crucial investment in the future – both for individuals and the community as a whole. A person’s level of educational achievement is one of the strongest predictors of quality of life. Investing in children early and throughout their development has been shown to be the most effective way to improve educational outcomes and reap the benefits of higher income levels, better health and greater community engagement. Leadership from the Kansas City community, especially among educators, policymakers, parents, and human service organizations, could work together to develop and implement policies and practices that support local children and youth’s positive child and youth development and education attainment by assuring that:

•

New parents take advantage of positive parenting skills classes and supplemental nutrition programs to improve outcomes for newborns and toddlers.

•

Quality, affordable early learning programs that teach social skills and prepare children to enter school ready to learn are available for all children, birth through age 5 years, regardless of family income.

•

Quality, affordable out-of-school programs that provide a safe environment, contribute to academic success and promote effective youth development opportunities are in place for all children and youth kindergarten through 12th grade in schools and community-based settings, regardless of family income.

•

All children access nutritious and adequate food through greater connection to effective child nutrition programs, such as the free or reduced cost school lunch program and ensuring that all eligible children are enrolled.

•

At-risk children and youth (such as those who are not reading at grade level, have been retained at least one grade level, have high absenteeism or truancy, are experiencing homelessness) are identified and engaged in programs to assist them in successfully completing high school and preparing for postsecondary education and vocations.

•

Children with exceptional needs such as those who are victims of abuse and neglect, domestic violence, have a mental illness or behavioral issues, or a disability, receive treatment and support to improve their educational and developmental outcomes.

•

A broad range of postsecondary educational options (including vocational training, college and graduate school) and the funding supports to take advantage of them are available for all young people and their families.

Education Report

United Way of Greater Kansas City

13

EDUCATION: UNITED WAY’S RESPONSE What We Do

United Way of Greater Kansas City leverages community engagement and investment to advance the building blocks of a good life: Education, Income and Health. In the Education area, our efforts are targeted to ensuring that children and youth attain their full potential. Through a commitment to collaboration, accountable results and innovation, we advance systemic community change strategies, invest in human service programs at partner agencies and work in partnership on community initiatives.

We invest in programs that achieve human service goals.

14

•

Children and youth are prepared for school, achieve academic success and are ready for a productive future.

United Way invests in a variety of education programs that support the developmental continuum of children and youth from birth through age 18 to prepare and support school and life success. Funded programs include quality early learning that engages families and helps children achieve developmental milestones, quality out-of-school time programs that help children and youth stay engaged and on-track in school, positive youth development programs, educational opportunities for young people who have been unsuccessful in traditional school settings, and tutoring or other academic supports.

•

Parents and caring adults have the knowledge and skills to support positive, age-appropriate development of children and youth.

United Way invests in parenting education and case management for vulnerable families.

•

People of all ages have the knowledge and skills to prevent family violence and abuse in all forms.

United Way invests in parent education programs for at-risk families including teen parents, public and professional education for the prevention of domestic and sexual violence, and child abuse prevention and education and child safety.

2011 Community Needs & Trends Assessment

We advance efforts that bring about systemic community change.

Out-of-School Time Quality Matters

A collaborative project led by United Way to champion quality out-of-school time opportunities (i.e., youth development in non-school hours) for young people. Research documents that children and youth in quality out-of-school time programs have better attendance and attitudes towards school and are more likely to graduate on time, a proven milestone on the journey to life success. Quality Matters uses a proven program improvement approach to give out-of-school time programs the tools, training and supports needed to develop a high quality program. Begun in 2009 with a pilot project of 24 sites in the metropolitan region, the initiative now impacts over 4,000 children and youth at 120 out-of-school time sites in the community. Data tracking for the project over the first two years demonstrates that instructional quality is improving and site directors are finding the process effective and worthwhile.

For more information, contact: Katherine Rivard, (816) 559-4631, katherinerivard@uwgkc.org

We partner in community initiatives.

Tri County Smart Start (TCSS)

An effort to ensure that children in Johnson, Leavenworth and Wyandotte counties enter kindergarten ready for educational success by improving the quality of the education and care they receive from birth to age five. TCSS provides materials, financial assistance, training and targeted professional development to early childhood programs that commit to participating in and being evaluated by the Kansas City Quality Rating and Improvement System (KQRIS).

This public-private approach leverages local funding to match a state grant provided through the Kansas Children’s Cabinet.

For more information, contact: Carol Smith, (816)559-4743, carolsmith@uwgkc.org

Success by Six Centers

Provide educational training and materials for traditional parents, non-traditional parents, teen parents, child care providers, early childhood educators and parent educators. In partnership with local school districts, the United Way Success by 6 resource centers provide a Toy and Resource Lending Library filled with educational toys and books appropriate for children birth to age 8. All materials are available for checkout free of charge to anyone who works or lives with children from birth to the 12th grade in Clay, Platte, Cass or Jackson counties. Last year, the centers served nearly 4,200 children, reaching more than 4,000 households in the Greater Kansas City area.

For more information, contact: Connie Pyles, (816)559-4682, conniepyles@uwgkc.org

Education Report

United Way of Greater Kansas City

15

End Notes Acknowledgements Primary research and data analysis for this report was provided by United Community Services of Johnson County, Kan. 1.

Corporate Voices for Working Families, Tomorrow’s Workforce – Ready or Not: It’s a Choice the Business Community Must Make Now, July 2008. Will they be ready for the challenge?

2.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2010. The nation’s report card. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2010/2010028. pdf.

3.

Baldi, S., Jin, Y., Skemer, M., Green, P. J., & Herget, D. 2007. Highlights from PISA 2006: Performance of U.S. 15-year-old students in science and mathematics literacy in an international context [NCES 2008–016]. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.

4.

Cutler, D, and A Lleras-Muney, 2006. Education and health: evaluating theories and evidence. NBER Working Paper.

5.

Verba, S., Schlozman, K.L. and Brady, H. 1995. Voice and Equality: Civic Voluntarism in American Politics. Harvard University Press.

6.

U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau. 2009. Current Population Survey, October 2008: School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement File (Technical Documentation CPS-09). Washington, DC: Author, Rouse, C.E. 2007. Quantifying the Costs of Inadequate Education: Consequences of the Labor Market. In C.R. Belfield and H.M. Levin (Eds.), The Price We Pay: Economic and Social Consequences of Inadequate Education (pp. 99-124). Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press. Estimate updated for 2008.

7.

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2010. Tabulations retrieved March 4, 2010, from http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsa2009. pdf. Pleis, J.R., Lucas, J.W., and Ward, B.W. 2009. Summary Health Statistics for U.S. Adults: National Health Interview Survey, 2008. Vital Health Stat, 10(242). National Center for Health Statistics. U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics. 2004. Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities, 2004. Unpublished estimates. ICPSR04572-v1. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [producer and distributor], 2007-02-28. doi:10.3886/ICPSR04572. U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics. 2009. Capital Punishment, 2008—Statistical Tables (NCJ-228662). Washington, DC. Retrieved March 4, 2010, from http://bjs.ojp. usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=1757. Levin, H.M., and Belfield, C.R. 2007. Educational Interventions to Raise High School Graduation Rates. In C.R. Belfield and H.M. Levin (Eds.), The Price We Pay: Economic and Social Consequences of Inadequate Education (pp. 177–199).

Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.

8.

Kansas State Department of Education, Missouri Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education.

9.

Williams, A & Swail, WS, 2005. Is More Better? The Impact of Postsecondary Education on the Economic and Social Well-Being of American Society. Washington, DC: Educational Policy Institute, Inc.

10. Postsecondary Success, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, accessed, www.gatesfoundtion.org/postsecondary 5.25.2010 .

11. Center for the Developing Child, A Science-Based Framework for Early Childhood Policy, Harvard University, August 2007.

12. Kristin Moore, Elizabeth Hair, Michelle McNamara, Parent-Youth Relationships: Are quality relationships in adolescence related to better outcomes during the transition to adulthood? Child Trends, February 2007.

13. Soaring to New Heights, The Status of Early Learning in Greater Kansas City 2010, Mid-America Council on Early Learning, Mid-America Regional Council, www.marc.org/mcel/assets/2010FullStatusRept.pdf, accessed 9.6.2011.

14. Karoly, LA & Bigelow, JH. 2005. The economics of investing in universal preschool education in California, Rand Corporation Monograph series.

15. Pew Center on the States: The Benefits of High Quality Pre-K, www.preknow.org/advocate/factsheets/benefits.cfm, accessed 8.10.2011.

16. America After 3pm, JCPenny Afterschool and After School Alliance, October 2009.

17. Durlak, Joseph A. and Weissberg, Roger P. 2007. The Impact of After School Programs that Promote Personal and Social Skills. Chicago,IL: Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning.

18. America After 3pm, JCPenny Afterschool and After School Alliance, October 2009. www.afterschoolalliance.org/policyStateMap.cfm, accessed 9.6.11 19. Rafferty, Y.; Shinn, M.; Weitzman, B. C. 2004. Academic Achievement among Formerly Homeless Adolescents and Their Continuously Housed Peers. Journal of School Psychology 42(3): 179-199; Rubin, D. H.; Erickson, C. J.; Agustin, M. S.; Cleary, S. D.; Allen, J. K.; Cohen, P. 1996.

Cognitive and Academic Functioning of Homeless Children Compared with Housed Children. Pediatrics 97(3): 289-294); Zima, B. T.; Bussing, R.; Forness, S. R.; Benjamin, B. 1997. Sheltered Homeless Children: Their Eligibility and Unmet Need for Special Education Evaluations.

American Journal of Public Health 87(2): 236-240.

20. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, National Institutes of Health: National Institute of Mental Health. 1999. AND New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. Achieving the Promise: Transforming Mental Health Care in America. Final Report. July 2003.

Sources for school lunch enrollment and homeless students: Kansas Department of Education and Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Source for graphs, unless otherwise noted: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

16

2011 Community Needs & Trends Assessment

United Way of Greater Kansas City 1080 Washington Street Kansas City, MO 64105 (816) 472-4289 9/19/11

www.unitedwaygkc.org