1. Education, Equity & the Economy Findings from State of the South 2004 Sarah Rubin, Senior Associate MDC Inc. RCCA Conference -- October 2004

2. State of the South 2004 – © MDC Inc. – www.mdcinc.org Big Trends The South's population is changing. The South's economy is changing. High school education is changing – and it needs to.

3. Demographic and Economic Trends

4. State of the South 2004 – © MDC Inc. – www.mdcinc.org South’s Population: More Diverse Source: U.S. Census Bureau

5. State of the South 2004 – © MDC Inc. – www.mdcinc.org Children in Poverty, 2000 Source: Kids Count / U.S. Census

6. State of the South 2004 – © MDC Inc. – www.mdcinc.org More Offices, Fewer Factories Source: U.S. Census Bureau

7. State of the South 2004 – © MDC Inc. – www.mdcinc.org Fast-Growing Occupations Require Education Beyond High School Education level % of all jobs, 2000 % of new jobs, 2000- 2010 Projected rate of growth Mean earnings, 2000 BA+21%29%22%$56,500 2-year degree or certificate 8%13%24%$35,700 Work- related training 71%58%12%$26,000 Source: BLS Monthly Labor Review, Nov. 2001

8. State of the South 2004 – © MDC Inc. – www.mdcinc.org Less-Educated Men: Falling Behind Source: Postsecondary Ed Opportunity, March 2003 (based on CPS data)

9. State of the South 2004 – © MDC Inc. – www.mdcinc.org Squeezed in a Vise

10. State of the South 2004 – © MDC Inc. – www.mdcinc.org How Well Are High Schools Preparing Youth for the Future Economy?

11. State of the South 2004 – © MDC Inc. – www.mdcinc.org The Muddled Middle Two clear pathways out of high school: Further education and career. Disconnection from society and opportunity. Muddled middle, filled with young people for whom high school fails to provide direction or motivation.

12. State of the South 2004 – © MDC Inc. – www.mdcinc.org Enrollment Up in Advanced Math Source: National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, Measuring Up 2002.

13. State of the South 2004 – © MDC Inc. – www.mdcinc.org Advanced Placement Widespread Source: SREB

14. State of the South 2004 – © MDC Inc. – www.mdcinc.org More Minorities and Women Going to College In Southern colleges and universities: Black enrollment rose 48% during the 1990s. Hispanic enrollment rose 70%. Women’s enrollment has risen steadily since the late 1970s. White male enrollment dropped slightly in the 1990s.

15. State of the South 2004 – © MDC Inc. – www.mdcinc.org Achievement Gap Persists Source: NCES Reading Highlights 2003. StateAll Students WhiteBlackHispanic AL22%30%9%- AR27%33%6%- FL27%37%11%25% GA26%36%12%19% KY34%36%14%16% LA22%33%9%- MS21%32%9%- NC29%38%13%15% OK30%34%13%17% SC24%35%10%- TN26%32%9%- TX26%39%14% VA36%44%15%31% WV25% 13%- US30%39%12%14% 2003 NAEP 8th Grade Reading Scores by Race/Ethnicity: Percent Who Scored Proficient or Higher (Percents in blue are at or above the US average)

16. State of the South 2004 – © MDC Inc. – www.mdcinc.org Too Few High School Graduates Source: Jay P. Greene and Greg Forster, "Public High School Graduation and College Readiness Rates in the U.S., Education Working Paper No. 3," Center for Civic Innovation at the Manhattan Institute, September 2003.

17. State of the South 2004 – © MDC Inc. – www.mdcinc.org

18. Attainment: Race, Ethnic Gaps Southern Adults Age 25+ by Educational Attainment and Race/Ethnicity, 2000: Less than High School or BA+ Source: U.S. Census NOTE: "White" is non-Hispanic white. "Black" is defined by the Census category "black alone"

19. State of the South 2004 – © MDC Inc. – www.mdcinc.org Attainment: Metro/Nonmetro Source: March 2000 CPS

20. State of the South 2004 – © MDC Inc. – www.mdcinc.org Drift Into Resegregation 1954 1970 1988 2001 Source: Brown at Fifty: King's Dream or Plessy's Nightmare? Gary Orfield and Chungmei Lee, Harvard Civil Rights Project, January 2004.

21. State of the South 2004 – © MDC Inc. – www.mdcinc.org Schools: Levers for Change Today, education is perhaps the most important function of state and local governments… It is the very foundation of good citizenship. – US Supreme Court, 1954

22. State of the South 2004 – © MDC Inc. – www.mdcinc.org Four Challenges Sustained prosperity requires more people with higher skills and education beyond high school. Young population is increasingly Latino and African American. Many low-income youth attend isolated, resource-poor schools. High schools fail to engage and inspire many students, regardless of income and race.

23. State of the South 2004 – © MDC Inc. – www.mdcinc.org Levers for Change 1. Move beyond seat time and test scores. 2. Provide multiple pathways to opportunity. 3. Connect adults and adolescents. 4. Eliminate high-poverty schools. 5. Recognize the primacy of teaching.

24. State of the South 2004 – © MDC Inc. – www.mdcinc.org 1.Beyond Seat Time & Test Scores Ensure that all young people graduate from high school prepared for further education. Align high school curriculum and standards with requirements of the emerging economy and postsecondary education. Extend literacy instruction through high school.

25. State of the South 2004 – © MDC Inc. – www.mdcinc.org 2. Provide Multiple Pathways Offer training for skilled occupations – Career and Technical Education. Provide accelerated learning options – AP courses, dual-enrollment. Create blended institutions – Early College High Schools. Establish Career Academies.

26. State of the South 2004 – © MDC Inc. – www.mdcinc.org 3. Connect Adults and Adolescents Guidance counselors are powerful connectors. High schools need strong connections to communities. Adult mentors. Businesses and work-based learning.

27. State of the South 2004 – © MDC Inc. – www.mdcinc.org 4. Eliminate High-Poverty Schools Race matters, income matters more. No school should have a high concentration of students living in poverty. Where entire districts are poor, states must provide resources and encourage regionalism.

28. State of the South 2004 – © MDC Inc. – www.mdcinc.org 5.No Substitute for Strong Teaching Develop a corps of superbly trained, well-paid, professional teachers. Identify and train new teachers. Retain incumbent teachers and expand professional development opportunities. Break up systematic assigning of vulnerable teachers to vulnerable schools. Offer pay, housing, tax, and other incentives to attract experienced principals and teachers to vulnerable schools.

29. State of the South 2004 – © MDC Inc. – www.mdcinc.org Questions How well do these recommendations match the needs in your community or region? What can rural community colleges do to put more young people on a path to college? Does your state have any promising initiatives to reform high school education? How are community colleges involved?

30. State of the South 2004 – © MDC Inc. – www.mdcinc.org For More Information Sarah Rubin MDC Inc. P.O. Box 17268, Chapel Hill, NC 27516-7268 (919) 968-4531 srubin@mdcinc.org State of the South 2004 can be downloaded or ordered from MDC’s website (www.mdcinc.org)www.mdcinc.org