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The 35th edition of the Annie E. Casey Foundation's KIDS COUNT® Data Book examines the unprecedented declines in student math and reading proficiency brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic's effect on education. The latest data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress reveals that between 2019 and 2022, fourth-grade reading and eighth-grade math scores plummeted, representing decades of lost progress. This alarming trend underscores the urgent need for action to address the growing academic disparities among U.S. students.
Today's students, who will comprise America's future workforce, are ill-prepared for the high-level reading, math and problem-solving skills required in a competitive global economy. The failure to adequately prepare our children will have dire consequences for their futures and for the economic vitality of our nation. LEARN MORE ABOUT PANDEMIC LEARNING LOSS AND CASEY'S RECOMMENDATIONS TO ENSURE STUDENT SUCCESS NATIONAL TRENDS IN CHILD WELL-BEINGIn 2022, as COVID-19 restrictions eased, the impact of the pandemic on child well-being became evident. Six indicators worsened between 2019 and 2022, including educational achievement and the child and teen death rate. Between 2019 and 2021, the percentage of children scoring proficient or above in reading and math declined sharply. While this trend may have stabilized in 2022, the data indicate a significant setback in educational attainment. The child and teen death rate also remained elevated in 2022, with 17.0 deaths per 100,000 children and adolescents, compared to 14.7 in 2019. However, some positive trends emerged:
These positive changes demonstrate how effective policies that address the root causes of challenges can contribute to significant improvements and create a brighter future for young people. TRENDS IN RACIAL INEQUITIESRacial inequities in America persist, with American Indian/Alaska Native, Black and Latino children facing significant disparities. Nearly all well-being indicators show disparate outcomes by race and ethnicity, with American Indian/Alaska Native children and Black children experiencing the lowest well-being levels. Generations of inequity and discrimination contribute to these disparities. Black children have higher rates of single-parent households and poverty, while American Indian/Alaska Native children are more likely to lack health insurance and live in resource-limited neighborhoods. Latino children have higher rates of obesity and live in households where the head may lack a high school diploma. And despite overall better outcomes for Asian and Pacific Islander children, disaggregated data reveal significant disparities within this population. Burmese, Mongolian and Thai children experience higher rates of poverty and lack of high school diplomas in their households. Today, children of color constitute the majority of the nation's children, highlighting the importance of ensuring their success for the future of America. Continue to Annie E. Casey Kids Count Data Book website.
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Social media has been fully integrated into the lives of most adolescents in the U.S., raising concerns among parents, physicians, public health officials, and others about its effect on mental and physical health. Over the past year, an ad hoc committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine examined the research and produced this detailed report exploring that effect and laying out recommendations for policymakers, regulators, industry, and others in an effort to maximize the good and minimize the bad. Focus areas include platform design, transparency and accountability, digital media literacy among young people and adults, online harassment, and supporting researchers. Link to report.  The 2023 KidsCount Data Book was released June 14, 2023 by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. You can read or download it here.  FRIENDS is pleased to announce the release of two animated/illustrated stories for the Sharing the Journey: Voices of Parent Leaders media collection. “Just Ask” and “Unstoppable” are personal narratives that have been transformed into brief, compelling videos and demonstrate the powerful impact of child abuse prevention efforts. The videos are a part of Sharing the Journey: Voices of Parent Leaders 2022 a collection of audio stories, including selections in Spanish, written and told by PAC members in their authentic voices. Either singularly or combined with the audio stories, these video vignettes can be used to increase public awareness or as tools to support training for staff, network members, partners, parents, and other key stakeholders about the value of parent engagement and involvement. The new videos are available to view or download on the FRIENDS website, https://friendsnrc.org/parent-leadership/parent-stories. FRIENDS is an acronym for Family Resource Information, Education, and Network Development Service. They provide Targeted Technical Assistance and Training to the Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) Community. They also strive to provide high-quality information to the general child abuse prevention community.  The 2023/2024 Prevention Resource Guide recognizes that there are actions we can take as a society and within communities, organizations, and families to address the root causes of child abuse and neglect. The prevention resource guide seeks to highlight the innovative ways that communities around the country are doing purposeful prevention work to help children and families thrive. The protective factors have always been central to the Resource Guide. A protective factors approach focuses on positive ways to engage families by emphasizing their strengths, in addition to identifying areas where they have room to grow with support. Focusing on protective factors helps children, youth, and families build resilience and contributes to positive outcomes.
Download from the Child Welfare Information Gateway. Order a print copy from Child Welfare Information Gateway. |
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