Annual Kids Count ranks Nevada 49th on education
It was more of the same for Nevada’s education system Tuesday.
The 2017 Kids Count Data Book — released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation — ranks Nevada 49th in the nation when it comes to education. That’s in line with where other national nonprofits and research organizations place the state.
What’s different this time, according to officials with the state Department of Education, is that measures passed in the 2017 legislative session will help propel the state higher on the list in the future.
“While we showed improvement in every education category, our results are not adequate and our children deserve better,” Steve Canavero, superintendent of public instruction, said in a statement.
Canavero pointed to education initiative from the 2015 and 2017 sessions as examples of the state’s commitment to improve in education and in the rankings.
A long-awaited weighted-funding formula will pump $72 million in the next two years to some of the state’s lowest-achieving students who are either English language learners or from low-income families.
The foundation, a private organization based in Baltimore, focuses on children and educational outcomes. The data book released Tuesday is an annual report.
The report looks at 16 factors in four categories to give states overall rankings. Education, health, economic well being and family and community measures are included in the ranking.
When all the factors are combined, Nevada ranks 47th. Education is the state’s lowest rating. The state is ranked 40th for economic well being, the highest rating the state received in any category.
“The gains in economic well-being reflect an improving Nevada economy,” Nevada Kids Count director Rennae Daneshvary said in a statement. “The percentage of children living in poverty has decreased to 21 percent, which is equal to the national average, but more work needs to be done to ensure no child lives in poverty.”
New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Vermont are considered the top three states overall. Louisiana, New Mexico and Mississippi are the lowest-rated states.
Contact Meghin Delaney at 702-383-0281 or mdelaney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @MeghinDelaney on Twitter.
Weighted funding
Steve Canavero, the Nevada Department of Education superintendent, says the recently passed weighted-funding formula will help Nevada's educational standing by providing more money for students who need it the most. Here's how it'll work:
- Senate Bill 178 appropriates $72 million over the biennium to target low-income students and English language learners
- The Department of Education will dole out $1,200 per student.
- The money will first go to low-income students and English language learners in the bottom quartile of schools in the state
- Money can be used on a number of services including reading centers, summer academies, professional development for teachers, family engagement and more.
