"Towards Equity," 2019 Kids Count Data Book, and the State of Education in Massachusetts

Towards Equity: Massachusetts Education Funding Reform Proposals Grapple to Provide Resources to Students Most in Need Students have the best chance of succeeding when their schools are equipped with the resources to serve them effectively. While Massachusetts is regarded as a national leader in education, we are leaving some of our students behind. The state's schools funding formula, known as Chapter 70, has not been comprehensively updated in 25 years and this has left schools, administrators, and entire districts across the Commonwealth unable to adequately support all students. In our new report, Towards Equity: School Funding Reform in Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) examines recent proposals from the Legislature and Governor Baker to update the state's education funding formula. While the current Chapter 70 funding formula helps some students reach their full potential, more statewide aid is required to make the improvements that would ensure all students are able to succeed. "Providing high-quality public education that allows all of our students the opportunity to reach their full potential can improve both the lives of our children and the long-term vibrancy of our society," said Marie-Frances Rivera, MassBudget's President. "For public education to reach this aim in Massachusetts, it is critical that funding reforms reach every child in the state - regardless of their socioeconomic status, zip code, or race." In the Commonwealth, wealthier communities are able to provide excellent schools through ample local tax revenue, an option not available to some of our communities who serve students with higher needs. In order for Massachusetts to truly lead the nation in education, it must move forward this once-in-a-generation opportunity to advance equity for all. The proposed reforms have the chance to close scholastic achievement gaps that particularly impact low-income students and English Language Learners (ELL). The report contains data by district and finds that proposed changes under the most progressive reform proposal (the Promise Act) - when fully phased in after seven years - could mean as much as $1.41 billion in additional annual funding for school districts across Massachusetts. Under the more moderate proposal from Governor Baker, districts would receive $460 million extra aid in 2026. "Bringing our school funding formula into the 21st century would allow us to better serve and support students," said Senior Policy Analyst Colin Jones, lead author of the report. "With increased funding, districts across Massachusetts would have greater ability to support effective practices such as early childhood programs, wraparound social services, after school opportunities, and career-technical education. These types of approaches have increased achievement, particularly for disadvantaged kids." Read the full Towards Equity report here. 2019 KIDS COUNT Data Book Highlights Need for Investments in Education, Housing, Public Programs in Massachusetts Massachusetts has always been strongest when it has been open to newcomers. As classrooms, pediatricians' offices and homes become more diverse, the need to ensure every child has the chance to thrive - regardless of where they live or how wealthy their families are - is ever more important. That's a key takeaway as the 2019 KIDS COUNT® Data Book - the most comprehensive annual report on children's well-being - is released today by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. "Even though Massachusetts has always been a national leader in math and reading education, half the state's children still lag behind on math and reading proficiency," said Nancy Wagman, director of KIDS COUNT in Massachusetts. "No single program or service can ensure that our kids do well - we need to support our children in all aspects of their lives, by investing in their schools, affordable housing, libraries and programs to help their parents get good jobs. Data indicates that the child population has grown more diverse- and a wealthy state like ours can do more to invest in equitable public education for our children." According to the Data Book, Massachusetts leads the nation in health measures, reading levels and mathematic achievement, but the share of children living in poverty is the same as it was in 2010 - 14 percent. Within each domain, Massachusetts ranks: 15th in economic well-being. Massachusetts has fallen four places from last year's ranking in this dimension. The share of Massachusetts children whose parents lack full-time, year-round employment decreased by 10 percent since 2010. First in education. Massachusetts children remain first in mathematic achievement (with 50 percent of eighth-graders scoring at or above proficient level) and reading level (with 51 percent of fourth-graders scoring at or above proficient level). The percent of 3- and 4-year-olds attending school has stayed essentially the same since 2009-2011. First in health. The state remains first in the nation in ensuring children have health insurance, but the number of children without health insurance rose slightly between 2016 and 2017. 10th in family and community domain.  Massachusetts' rank slipped one place since last year's ranking in this dimension, which includes children living in high-poverty areas and teen birth rates. Interested in learning more on the state of child well-being in Massachusetts? Read or download your copy of the Data Book here. The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts. MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER 15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700 BOSTON, MA 02108

MBPC: Unlocking Potential: The Cost and Availability of Juvenile Detention and its Alternatives in MA

MassBudget Information. Participation. Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center Democracy.

Unlocking Potential: The Cost and Availability of Juvenile Detention and its Alternatives in Massachusetts

MassBudget's new KIDS COUNT report explores budget trends for juvenile detention over time. It looks at newer alternative programs for kids entering the juvenile justice system, and compares costs across the detention continuum. Juveniles are in "Detention" when they are in custody of DYS before trial or before a probation violation hearing. Many such children are charged only with misdemeanors, and there is significant evidence that for many juveniles placement outside of a jail-like facility is at least as effective from a public safety perspective -- and better for the child. The report finds that there are significantly different costs for different types of placements:

• Placement in a jail-like facility ("Secure Detention") is the most expensive.
• A community placement in foster care is less than half the cost of a secure placement.
• Alternatives to detention, which allow kids to receive services while at home, are even less expensive than foster care.

The report also finds that the number of alternative placements is increasing but that implementation has been slow and uneven. Read the report here.

A companion KIDS COUNT report from Citizens for Juvenile Justice examines how and why detention is harmful to kids, the characteristics of children detained, and what alternatives to detention are working well in Massachusetts.

National and state data on juvenile justice are available at the Kids Count Data Center. MassBudget's Children's Budget includes a section on juvenile justice.

The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts.

MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER 15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700 BOSTON, MA 02108

When Children Don't Matter.....

Mississippi, no longer the worst state to be a kid

By Eric Pfeiffer, Yahoo! News

Reporter
 Mon, Jun 24, 2013

The Kids Count report ranks the well-being of kids in the U.S. (AP)

There’s good news for the children of Mississippi; their state is no longer the worst place to be a kid.

That’s because a new set of annual rankings on children’s welfare says New Mexico has dethroned Mississippi's perennial hold on the bottom ranking of the Kids Count list.

For the past 24 years, the Annie E. Casey Foundation has used a series of 16 indicators to rank the well-being of children in all 50 U.S. states. This year’s edition is the first to not place Mississippi at 50 out of 50 on the list, citing gains in health and education. However, Mississippi is still No. 49 on the list.

The foundation also noted that a third of Mississippi’s children continue to live in poverty. By comparison, 13 percent of New Hampshire’s children are listed as living at or below the poverty level.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts finished at the top of the children’s well-being list.

“While we are not where we need to be, the fact that our child and teen death rate, along with some decrease in the percentage of children without health insurance has been helpful,” Mississippi Kids Count Director Linda Southward told the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal.

There also appears to be an overall improving trend in the South. Louisiana, which was 46th on the list, is the only other Southern state to finish in the bottom five. However, the Southwest has fared less well—three of the bottom-five states are New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada.

Southward said Mississippi saw its gains through improvement in the number of children enrolled in preschool and general student improvements in math for eighth-graders and reading for fourth-graders. Overall, Mississippi was 48th in the Kids Count educational rankings. However, it did not see any economic gains during the same period, continuing to rank 50th on that list.

“The evidence is clear—we help children by helping families,” Southward said. “The importance of quality child care, fully funding education opportunities for children and promoting evidence-based practices, underscored by economic development, is crucial to continued outcomes.”

This year’s rankings were based on national data compiled between 2005-2011. For those years, Mississippi’s numbers improved across eight of the 16 statistical areas measured. Overall, the United States improved in 10 of the categories during the same period.

Mississippi saw other gains on the list, including a drop in teen pregnancy rates and a drop in its infant mortality rate that has shown an improvement outpacing the national average.

“We are still woefully behind the country in reading proficiencies, and the high percentage of high school students not graduating on time continues to be of concern,” Southward said.