Richmond Times Dispatch
Thursday, January 4, 2007
Lindsay Kastner

Success may come easier to Virginians.

The Commonwealth tops the list in a report ranking all 50 states and the
District of Columbia to determine where a child has the best chance for success
in life.

Released yesterday, the analysis is based on 13 educational and economic
indicators, including family income, the percent of children enrolled in
preschool and kindergarten programs, and the percent of adults with
postsecondary degrees.  The state earned 22 of a possible 26 points, putting it one point ahead of Connecticut for the top rank.

Children born to high-income families and well-educated parents have a much
better chance of doing well in school than their at-risk peers, noted David W.
Breneman, an economist and dean of the Curry School of Education at the
University of Virginia.  "The good, sorry fact that almost everyone acknowledges," he said, "is that these things are correlated extremely closely."

In his own research, Breneman said, he questioned whether ranking states
according to family wealth would produce the same results as rankings based on
academic indicators. There were similarities, he said, but "we argued that there
was enough room for some pub- lic-policy intervention."

In yesterday's report, Virginia performed particularly well in some of the
socio-economic indicators. It ranks first in one of the 13 categories -- steady
employment. The state had 72.2 percent of its adult labor force working full
time and year-round, five percentage points above the national average of 67.2
percent.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Billy K. Cannaday Jr. cheered the
report.  "Education is the key to opportunity, and Virginia's public schools continue to demonstrate accountability for preparing young people for success in today's
global economy," he said in a prepared statement.

"While celebrating this national recognition, educators at the state and local
levels must remain focused and committed to ensuring that all children in the
commonwealth possess the knowledge and skills necessary to rise to their full
potential."

The index was developed by the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center
for Education Week magazine.  In each category, states could earn or lose one or two points based on performance compared to the national average. Virginia earned the maximum two points in every category except two having to do with the education of young children. In those categories -- the percent of children the state enrolled in preschool and kindergarten in 2005 -- Virginia was near enough to the national average that it neither earned nor lost points.

"It's a timely reminder that we must ensure that more children have access to
high-quality preschool," Kathy Glazer, director of the Governor's Working Group
on Early Childhood Initiatives, said in an e-mail.

"Virginia has much to be proud of in terms of the excellence of its educational
system," Glazer wrote, "but the zero ranking we received on enrollment in
preschool is a sobering reminder that we're not tapping the full potential of
early education."

Emily Griffey, director of research and advocacy for Success by 6 at the Greater
Richmond Chamber, agreed.  "Of course preparation for success in life begins with preparation for success in school," she said. "We'd like to see increased access to preschool programs, both public and private, and even before preschool it's important that all parents understand their role as their child's first teacher."
Lynn Olson, executive project editor for the Education Week study, said the
report demonstrates that, "children's chances for success don't just rest on
what happens during elementary and high school."

She said the early years in life and those after graduation are also key. "What
we were really trying to do with this report is to suggest that there really needs to be a stronger focus on education across that continuum."

EPE Research Center Director Christopher B. Swanson said the 13 indicators were
chosen based on reliable, consistent sources of available national data.  Much of the report is based on data from the Census Bureau and from the U.S.
Department of Education.  It shows many Southern states lagging. Among the states that border Virginia, Maryland is among the top five. Tennessee and West Virginia are in the bottom 10.

Breneman, the economist and dean, said he considered the analysis solid.  He said he thought the report could be useful to policymakers and perhaps to businesses considering where to locate, but he doubted its relevance to
individuals.  "If they have a good job in West Virginia and the parents are college-educated, their child is going to be fine," he said. "There's going to be kids in West
Virginia who outperform kids in Virginia."

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