Indiana has moved up in a national education ranking but the latest Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count Data Book showed many students still face challenges in reading and math.
The report ranked Indiana 11th nationally in education, up from 17th in 2019. But more than half of Indiana fourth graders struggle with reading, and nearly seven in 10 eighth graders struggle with math.
Tami Silverman, president and CEO of the Indiana Youth Institute, said Hoosier children are close to reaching the top 10 in education but the state still needs to focus on early learning and literacy.
“We need to make sure we're making that leap from learning to read to reading to learn,” Silverman emphasized. “That's a big deal. We know that young kids who have the opportunity to go to early learning, that sets them up for success.”
Educators pointed to literacy initiatives and rising graduation rates as signs of progress. Some child advocates said Indiana still needs to strengthen support for early learning and academic achievement.
Silverman noted the report also highlighted concerns about children’s mental health, including excessive screen time, anxiety and loneliness affecting many young people.
A new scoring system in this year’s report measured child well-being across education, health, economic and family indicators. The system is intended to help states track actual progress rather than simply compare rankings.
“Particularly as we're talking about mental health and kids and the number of kids with health insurance, and those kinds of things," Silverman outlined. "It's important to really celebrate the positive momentum that is out there.”
Indiana scored above the national average overall, although economic well-being and family indicators declined compared with a year ago.
Leslie Boissiere, vice president of external affairs for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, said the data in the report represent real outcomes for children across the U.S.
“We encourage all policymakers to look at the data on children in their states, to look at the policies and programs that, historically, data and evidence show improve the well-being of kids, and to invest in those policies and programs,” Boissiere urged.
Source: Public News Service
