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Economics |
| September 18, 2008 – The Economic Mobility Project The Economic Mobility Project has released its latest report, Pathways to Economic Mobility: Key Indicators. Previous reports from this nonpartisan, collaborative effort involving experts from the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Brooking Institute, the Heritage Foundation, the Urban Institute, and the American Enterprise Institute have been highlighted here in the past, and links to those reports are available on the Project News archives page under “Economics” or by going directly to the Mobility Project’s main website. This latest report addresses factors that are likely to affect an individual’s moving up or down the economic ladder. The authors classify these factors into three categories: social capital, which they defines as “the non-financial resources available to individuals through relationships to people and institutions;” human capital, “the skills and attributes acquired by individuals that may impact whether the individuals are able to take advantage of economic opportunities;” and financial capital, “the financial assets that individuals might leverage to get ahead.” Access a summary of the indicators and the full report by clicking here. |
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May 29, 2007 - The Economic Mobility
Project The Economic Mobility Project is a nonpartisan collaborative effort of the Pew Charitable Trusts and scholars from The American Enterprise Institute, The Brookings Institution, The Heritage Foundation, and The Urban League. Widespread evidence exists to support the claim that income inequality is higher than at any time since World War II. This Project focuses on the more fundamental issue of economic mobility-the ability to “climb up” or “fall down” the economic ladder within and across generations. The first in a series of reports entitled, Economic Mobility: Is the American Dream Alive and Well? is available though the Project’s website which may be accessed by clicking here. http://www.economicmobility.org/ |
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May 29, 2008 –
Upward Intergenerational Mobility in the United States
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Environment |
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May 29, 2008 –
Shrinking the Carbon Footprint of Metropolitan
America |
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Health |
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January 9, 2008 – “Measuring the Health
of Nations: Updating an Earlier Analysis” A study of deaths considered amendable to health care treatment before age 75, in 1997-98 and in 2002-03 in the United States and eighteen other industrialized nations finds that the United States ranks last among those 19 nations in reducing the rate of death from potentially preventable conditions. Read the study published in Health Affairs by clicking here |
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November
28, 2007 – Obesity Among Adults in the U.S. A new study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, finds that adult obesity, while still a major health problem, showed no significant signs of worsening between 2003-04 and 2005-06. This latest report is a product of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The NHANES research finds that 34.3% of U.S. adults -– over 72 million people -- were obese in 2005-2006. This figure exceeds the 25.1% of adults as reported by the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence Data for 2006. Apart from the time interval, NHANES, unlike BRFSS, uses a combination of interviews, physical examinations, and lab studies. Additionally, NHANES uses a nationally representative sample of 5,000 people, whereas the BRFSS is a telephone-based survey administered in every state. Access this latest study by clicking here.
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August 28, 2007 Why is Obesity in
America Such a Heavy Issue? In the past twenty-five years American obesity rates have doubled and these figures keep getting larger. While two-thirds of adults in the U.S. are considered overweight or obese, so too are approximately 25 million children. Trust for America’s Health has issued its fourth annual report F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America, which offers statistical information by state and examines the relationships between obesity, weight related diseases, physical inactivity and poverty. Notably, Southern states tend to rank high in many of these categories in comparison to other regions of the country. Also included in the report are policies and practices ranging from community interventions to federal level initiatives. For more detailed information, please click here.
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August 8, 2007 – Rite of Passage? Why
Young Adults Become Uninsured and How New Policies Can Help A new report by the Commonwealth Fund documents how young adults between the ages of 19 and 29 are among the fastest-growing segments of the population without health insurance. Young people just graduated from high school who do not go on to college are especially vulnerable as are new college graduates. Researchers recommend any one of three policy changes: extend eligibility for public insurance programs beyond age 18; extend dependent’s eligibility for parental coverage beyond 18 or 19; and ensure that colleges and universities require full and part-time students have college and that institutions of higher learning offer coverage to students. You may access the report by clicking here.
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July 25, 2007 – The South Carolina Kids Count 2007 Databook is now available. According to the report, South Carolina ranks 46th nationally in children's "ability to succeed." See http://www.sckidscount.org. |
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July
26, 2007 – Social Networks and Obesity An article in the New England Journal of Medicine reports on the findings of a study on obesity, suggesting that obesity can be “socially contagious,” spreading from one person to another. The research focused on 12,067 people assessed repeatedly, over time from 1971 to 2003 as part of a major longitudinal study in Framingham, Massachusetts-the Framingham Heart Study. According to the research, a friend’s becoming obese increased a person’s chances of also becoming obese by 57%; an adult sibling’s becoming obese could increase one’s chances of becoming obese by 40%; and if a spouse became obese, the chances of the other spouse’s becoming obese increased by 37%. Be careful, though. The authors do not recommend losing your friends or cutting ties to siblings or spouses. While social networks can contribute to less than healthy behaviors, the evidence is also clear that such relationships, positively directed, can lead to positive behavioral changes. Read the study for yourself by clicking here http://jhfowler.ucsd.edu/spread_of_obesity.pdf |
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April 30,2007 - South
Carolina’s Proposed Legislation: Cervical Cancer Prevention
Act The Institute for Public Service and Policy Research has released a report on the Cervical Cancer Prevention Act, a recent topic in the South Carolina legislature. The paper provides a brief overview of the burden of disease in South Carolina, the newly available vaccine, and policy implications related to mandating it. Please click here to view this report. |
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April 30, 2007 - Trends in Oral Health
Status: United States, 1988-1994 and 1999-2004 The National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released its report based on a national study of dental health in the United States. Data for individual states are not reported. However, the report presented national estimates and trend data for a variety of oral health status measures for persons aged 2 and older. While oral health appears to have improved, especially among older adults, the study detected increasing problems with tooth decay among children aged 2-5 years. Access this study here. |
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February 2, 2007 – Report on
Anti-Obesity Policies The University of Baltimore Obesity Initiative released its annual report assessing states’ progress in the battle against obesity. South Carolina was among six states receiving “A’s for its legislative and policy-related anti-obesity efforts. The report praises laws that set school nutrition standards, restrict vending machines, require body mass index (BMI) reporting, and mandate time for recess and physical education. To access the report click here http://www.ubalt.edu/experts/obesity/ |
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August 2006 - Obesity
in America Trust for America’s Health, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to saving lives through disease prevention, released its report on obesity in America. South Carolina has the 8th highest rate of obesity among its adult population, tied with Indiana, with 26.2% (including a confidence interval of +/-0.7%). You may review the report which is entitled F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America 2006 by clicking here. To visit the website of Trust for America’s Health and review other reports and access state-by-state health data, visit http://healthyamericans.org/. |
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Social |
| July 2008 - America’s Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2008 The Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, a working groups of 22 federal agencies each of whom produces or uses statistical data on children and families, has released its 2008 report. Key indicators are organized under each of eight areas: Demographic Background, Family and Social Environment, Economic Circumstance, Health Care, Physical Environment and Safety, behavior, Education, and Health. To see updated data and other details associated with this year’s report visit the Forum’s website. |
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Transportation and Infrastructure |
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March 8, 2008 – Keep Both Hands on the Wheel: Metro Areas with the Roughest Rides and Strategies to Make Our Roads Smoother TRIP, the nonprofit organization that undertakes research into the nation’s highways and transportation infrastructure has a new report on pavement conditions affecting the nation’s major urban roads, the costs to motorists resulting from poor road conditions, and the outlook and recommendations for improving pavement conditions. The report looks at data submitted annually by state departments of transportation to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and incorporates information from a 2006 study by the U.S. Department of Transportation, FHWA. While nearly one-fourth of the nation’s major metropolitan roads including interstates, freeways, and other principal arterial routes are reported to have pavements in substandard condition, the percentage of roads with pavements in good condition increased from 31 percent in 2002 to 36 percent in 2006. Roads in need of repair cost the average urban motorist an average of $413 annually in additional ownership, repair, fuel, and tire costs. Among the urban areas included in the analysis are Charleston, South Carolina with 57 percent of road surface area in fair and good condition and 11 percent of its surface area in poor condition; Columbia, South Carolina with 54 percent of its road surface in fair and good condition and 21 percent in poor condition; and Greenville, South Carolina with 48 percent of its road surface in fair and good condition and 19 percent in poor condition. Inadequate road conditions add to the costs of driving. For example, rough pavement conditions cost Charleston drivers an estimated additional $320 annually, Columbia drivers an estimated additional $400 annually, and Greenville drivers an estimated additional $408 annually. Read the executive summary or full report by clicking here.
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Public Safety |
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August 25, 2008 – Are we experiencing fewer motor vehicle fatalities? A much larger reduction in motor vehicle fatalities was seen during March and April 2008 compared to the preceding twenty-two months from May 2006 – February 2008. This drastic decrease can not be explained by subtle decreases in gasoline sales or miles driven. Modified driving behavior may help to explain this occurrence. Fewer miles driven in risky driving conditions, or along rural roadways where higher speeds are more common than in urban settings, and decreased speeds intended to improve fuel efficiency are all contributing factors to a significant reduction in motor vehicle fatalities. Elevated gasoline prices may cause a reduction in the number of miles driven by people with lower income, a population subset with higher crash rates which includes teenagers, seniors and poorer people in general. Higher gas prices appear to influence driver behavior through the amount and speed of driving, which in turn appears to affect the motor vehicle fatality rate in the U.S. The University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute released an analysis of gasoline sales, miles driven, and motor vehicle fatalities in a report entitled “Is the U.S. on the Path to the Lowest Motor Vehicle Fatalities in Decades?” which may be accessed by clicking here.
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| February 2008 – Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Consumer Fraud and Identity Theft Complaint Data January-December 2007 According to an analysis of the data stored in Consumer Sentinel, the FTC’s complaint database, South Carolina ranked 41st among the 50 states in fraud complaints with 6,041 consumer complaints. That equates to 137.1 complaints per 100,000 population. By contrast, Colorado ranked number one with 11,364 complaints or 233.8 per 100,000 population. Mississippi had the lowest number of reported complaints with 2,644 or 90.6 per 100,000 population. Regarding identity theft, South Carolina ranked 30th, with 2,670 complaints or 60.6 per 100,000 population. Arizona ranked first with 8,688 or 137.1 per 100,000 population. North Dakota ranked the lowest with 182 complaints or 28.5 complaints of identity theft per 100,000 population. Check out this report and become acquainted with Consumer Sentinel as well. Be advised that the numbers reflect self-reported and unverified consumer fraud and identity theft complaints reported to the Federal Trade Commission. Access this report here. |
| February 2008 – Getting Home Safely: An Analysis of Highway Safety in South Carolina is available online from The Road Information Program (TRIP), a nonprofit organization that researches highway transportation issues. TRIP periodically publishes reports on each state. Among TRIP’s latest findings is that South Carolina’s traffic fatality rate exceeds the national average and that the fatality rate on rural non-Interstate roads is not only higher than on other South Carolina roads but is the highest in the nation. South Carolina secondary rural roads with the highest serious accident rates from 2002-2006 were located in Florence County (Route 29 and Route 35), Beaufort County (Route 474), Spartanburg County (Route 55), Aiken County (Route 779), Charleston County (Route 54 and Route 20), Greenville County (Route 541), Horry County (Route 1121), and Laurens County (Route 43). These and many other critical findings are explained in TRIP’s most recent report which is available on TRIP’s website or which may be accessed by clicking here |
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September 24, 2007-Crime in the United
States, 2006 The latest federal report on crime in the United States is available on the FBI’s website. The on-line edition of Crime in the United States 2006 allows users to access 81 data tables with national and individual state information on reported violent and property crimes, arrests, and police employees. South Carolina’s 2006 violent crime rate of 765.5 violent crimes per 100,000 population exceeded the national crime rate of 473.5 violent crimes per 100,000 population. Yet, as high as it was, the 2006 rate represented a .2% reduction over the 2005 violent crime rate of 767.4 per 100,000 population. South Carolina’s 2006 property crime rate of 4,242.3 property crimes per 100,000 population represented a 2.9% reduction over 2005, although this rate also exceeded the national crime rate of 3,334.5 property crimes per 100,000 population. In using the data, the FBI cautions against using the data to compile rankings of cities and counties. According to the FBI, “These rough rankings provide no insight into the numerous variables that mold crime in a particular town, city, county, state, or region. Consequently, they lead to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses that often create misleading perceptions adversely affecting communities and their residents. Valid assessments are possible only with careful study and analysis of the range of unique conditions affecting each local law enforcement jurisdiction. The data user is, therefore, cautioned against comparing statistical data of individual reporting units from cities, metropolitan areas, states, or colleges or universities solely on the basis of their population coverage or student enrollment.” To access this resource click here. |
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July 18, 2007 – The Sentencing Project.
Uneven Justice: State Rates of Incarceration by Race and
Ethnicity. A report by the Sentencing Project, a national non-profit organization that undertakes research and advocacy on criminal justice policy examines racial and ethnic incarceration rates nationally and by state. The study also includes jail population data and an analysis on the impact of incarceration on the Hispanic community. The national incarceration rate in prisons and jails for Whites is 412 per 100,000 residents, 2,290 for Blacks, and 742 for Hispanics. In South Carolina, the incarceration rate in prisons and jails per 100,000 population is 415 for whites, 1,856 for Blacks, and 476 for Hispanics. See the report complete with data tables by clicking here. |
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February
15, 2007 – Projected Incarceration Rates for the U.S and
the States A new report by the Public Safety Performance Project, a project of the Pew Charitable Trusts, projects significant growth in prison populations and the attendant costs for most states between now and 2011. The report entitled Public Safety, Public Spending: Forecasting America’s Prison Population 2007-2011 projects a 13 percent increase in America’s prison population. The attendant costs of this increase could exceed $27 billion. The report’s authors project a 16 percent increase in South Carolina’s prison population. To access the entire report click here. |
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December 2005 - The
Federal Bureau of Investigation has released preliminary
violent crime data for the period from January-June 2005
Access
the site by clicking here. |
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Education |
| September 10, 2008 - 2008 PACT Test Scores and Report Cards Access the 2008 school district and individual school report cards by clicking here. |
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August 26, 2008 – SAT Results for 2008 graduating class are now available The College Board released the score reports for states and the nation for the graduating class of 2008. Critical reading scores for all South Carolina test takers averaged 488; math scores averaged 497; and writing scores averaged 476. To access the national as well as individual state reports, click here. |
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August
13, 2008 -
ACT Results for 2008 graduates are now available.
South Carolina seniors who took the ACT had an average composite
score of 19.9, up form 19.6 the year before. The Indicators
Project currently reports average composite score trend data for
South Carolina, the US, and the southeast. However, a link to
the
ACT which is also provided on this website will allow you to
access not just the composite scores, but the average scores for
the content areas in which students are tested: English, math,
reading, and science. If you haven’t done so already, access
the ACT site with 2008 test data and accompanying reports by
clicking
here.
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June 4, 2008 –
Diplomas Count: School to College: Can State P-16
Councils Ease the Transition?
The Editorial Projects in Education Research Center (ERC) along with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation released its latest report in a four-year project aimed at studying high school graduation rates and other issues associated with secondary education. This third annual report entitled Diplomas Count: School to College: Can State P-16 Councils Ease the Transition? looks at “P-16” and “P-20” Councils which many states have formed to “bridge the divide” between elementary and high schools on the one hand, and post-secondary education on the other. As has been done each year, this report also includes the latest graduation rate data for each state. For the first time, it also reports such data by federal congressional district. However, also as in the past, analyses conducted for Diplomas Count by the EPE Research Center continue to show wide disparities between state-reported graduation rates and the Center’s estimates. For example, average freshman graduation rates computed by the states and reported by the U.S. Department of Education in its Digest of Education Statistics shows the national average graduation rate for 2004-05 to be 74.7%, whereas, the Education Research Center computes a national average graduation rate for 2004-05 of 70.6%. The average freshman graduation rate in South Carolina for 2004-05 is reported by the U.S. Department of Education to be 60.1% while the Education Research Center computes a graduation rate for South Carolina of 55.6% for the same period. The difference is the method by which the numbers are computed. The U.S. Department of Education reports data submitted by the states reflecting aggregate student enrollment data for an incoming freshman class and aggregate counts of the number of diplomas awarded four years later. On the other hand, the ERC uses the Cumulative Promotion Index (CPI) method which incorporates the cumulative promotion rates from 9th to 10th grade, 10th to 11th grade, 11th to 12th grade and the number of diplomas awarded that Spring after 12th grade relative to the number of 12th graders enrolled the previous Fall. Such disparities in the way graduation rates are calculated and the inconsistencies that result, have led the U.S. Department of Education to propose new rules that would require all states to calculate graduation rates in a uniform manner that would track student population cohorts as they progress through high school. States would need to have those methods in place by the end of the 2012-13 school year. States, districts, and schools also would have to publish graduation rates for subgroups of students, and use those results in calculating progress to help close the kinds of gaps in graduation rates. To access the report and other information products made available click here and follow the instructions.
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April 2, 2008 - NAEP Assessment in Writing-2007 Results The National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress released the results of the 2007 writing assessment for the nation’s 8th and 12th graders. NAEP assesses writing for three purposes: narrative, informative, and persuasive. State-level data for 8th grade students are available. In 2007 the average score for 8th graders in the Nation’s public schools was 154. South Carolina’s average score was 148, largely unchanged from the score of 146 in 2002. Twenty-three percent (23%) of South Carolina’s students performed at or above NAEP’s Proficient level. This was not significantly different from 2002 when 20 percent of South Carolina students score at or above NAEP’s Proficient level. Eighty-five percent (85%) of South Carolina students scored at or above the NAEP Basic level in 2007. In 2002, 84 percent scored at or above the Basic level; in 1998, 79 percent scored at or above Basic. Fifteen percent (15%) scored Below Basic in 2007, a number not significantly different than the 16 percent in 2002. Access the entire report here. |
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November
15, 2007 - State of South Carolina Education Accountability Act
Report Cards The State Department of Education has released the 2007 report cards for South Carolina school districts and individual public schools. See how your school district and individual public schools are performing by clicking here. |
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October 22, 2007 – Trends in College
Pricing The College Board has released its latest report on college costs. Access the full report by clicking here. |
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October 4, 2007-The Proficiency Illusion The Thomas B. Fordham Institute released this report which finds that tests states use to measure academic progress under the federal No Child Left Behind Act often give false impressions of student achievement, especially with regard to student achievement in the lower grades on state reading assessments. Also available are individual state reports. However, the study concluded that South Carolina’s Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test (PACT) is generally well above average in terms of difficulty. The full Fordham Institute report and individual state reports may be accessed by clicking here. |
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National Assessment of Educational
Progress, 2007 September 25, 2007 - The National Center for Education Statistics released the results of the 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress, the Nation’s Report Card. Assessments were reported for Mathematics and Reading for grades 4 and 8. The results are largely unchanged from 2005. To see how South Carolina performed and how that performance compares to prior years and to that of other states in the southeast and the nation as a whole, go to SC Indicators to the left of this page and click on Education. In addition, you may access the entire reports for Reading and Mathematics by clicking here. |
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August 2, 2007 -Graduation
Matters: Improving Accountability for High School Graduation A new report by the Education Trust documents how states have failed to set meaningful targets for high school graduation and how vast disparities in graduation rates among groupings of students persist in the face of an accountability system that focuses only on average graduation rates. Read the report , Graduation Matters: Improving Accountability for High School Graduation, in its entirety by clicking here. |
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June 7, 2007 – Mapping 2005 State
Proficiency Standards onto the NAEP Scales A new report by the National Center for Education Statistics maps state academic proficiency standards for reading and mathematics for grades 4 and 8 onto the standards for achieving proficiency in reading and mathematics on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Among other things the findings suggest that state proficiency standards vary widely across states. States reporting higher percentages of students achieving proficiency according to their own state standards are not necessarily meeting proficiency standards under NAEP at comparable rates. To access the report, review the methodology, and study its findings click here http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pdf/studies/2007482.pdf |
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June 12, 2007 – Diplomas Count:
Ready for What? Preparing Students for College, Careers, and
Life After High School The Editorial Projects in Education Research Center along with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation released the second annual report in a four-year project aimed at studying high school graduation and other issues associated with secondary education. This second annual report entitled Diplomas Count, 2007: Ready for What? Preparing Students for College, Careers, and Life After High School includes an analysis of individual state policies for college and work readiness and provides current analyses of graduation rates for the national, individual states, and the 50 largest school district. Of special interest are the individual state reports that users may generate as well as interactive maps and special reports for any school district in the country. To access the report and other information products made available go to www.Edweek.org or click here and follow the instructions. http://www.edweek.org/ew/toc/2007/06/12/index.html |
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End-of-Course Test Results The South Carolina Department of Education has released the results of End-of-Course tests administered during the 2004-05 school year to public school students in the “gateway” courses: Algebra, English, Biology, and Physical Science. Access by clicking http://ed.sc.gov/topics/assessment/scores/ |
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October 2006 - College
Tuition and Fees The College Board released its latest report in its Trends in Higher Education Series entitled Trends in College Pricing, 2006. This report provides up-to-date data on tuition and fees for public and independent colleges and universities. Access the entire report by clicking here. |
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October 2006 - Create
Your Own Tables to Analyze Average Scores on the National
Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) A new feature available through the National Center for Education Statistics allows you to create your own tables comparing states based on their average scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for selected groups of public school students. For example, create a table comparing the differences in average Reading scores between male and female students in grade 4 across states. Click here. |
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September 2006 - Higher Education
Report Card The study, Measuring Up 2006: The National Report Card on Higher Education, was released today. This is the fourth in a biennial series of reports issued by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, a nonpartisan and nonprofit organization focused on higher education policy. The Center issues a national version of the report card as well as reports on individual states which can be accessed by clicking here http://measuringup.highereducation.org/ |
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May 2006 - College
Graduation Rates-A New Study by SREB The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) released another report in its “Challenge to Lead Series” which shows South Carolina’s postsecondary graduation rates from 4-year institutions ranking third among 16 SREB states. This latest report, Holding Colleges and Universities Accountable for Meeting State Needs shows South Carolina’s graduation rate of 58% tied with that of Florida and North Carolina. Virginia and Delaware tied for first in the rankings with graduation rates of 65%. Maryland ranked second with 63%. The data is available only for full-time students attending their first college for the first time, who remain at that first college and do not transfer. The graduation rates appear in Table 2 of the SREB report which can be accessed by clicking here. |
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March 15, 2007 - Profile of
State-Funded Pre-School Education Programs The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) at Rutgers University released its latest state preschool yearbook. The findings in this report are based on data collected through surveys of state preschool administrators and reviews of other data sources, including census data, and cover the 2005-06 school year. The focus is on programs that are funded and directed by the state to support group learning experiences for preschool-age children of ages 3 and 4. The report provides detailed response data from the 38 states, including South Carolina, which have state-funded early childhood programs. State rankings are provided in four areas: access to 4-year olds, access to 3-year olds, resources, and commitment to quality standards. National scores and individual state measures and rankings are available from the report which may be accessed by clicking here. |
| February 22, 2007 ‑ National Assessment of Educational Progress, Grade 12 Reading and Math Report. Access the national reports by clicking here. |
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June
2006 - Investment
in Early Childhood Education |
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December 2005 - Standard and Poor’s SchoolMatters Analysis of States’ Performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Standard and Poor’s conducted a demographic analysis of states’ performance scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). This study is another product of the company’s education initiative, known as SchoolMatters. Access by clicking here. |
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December 2005 - Publicly Funded Pre-Kindergarten Programs Serving Four-Year-Olds in South Carolina South Carolina is home to a variety of publicly funded pre-kindergarten programs serving four-year-olds. Access by clicking here. |
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June 2006 - Graduation
Rate Study
The Editorial Projects in Education Research Center is currently undertaking a four-year study of high school graduation and related issues pertaining to late secondary schooling and the transition to postsecondary education and employment. The Center, with the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation just released the first annual report from this project entitled Diplomas Count: An Essential Guide to Graduation Policy and Rates. The report provides data on high school graduation rates at the national, state, and district level; provides information on the methodology by which states calculate graduation rates; lists state policies related to high school graduation requirements; and explores ways in which states and districts might improve graduation rates based on research. A printed report is available on-line. However, you may also access reports on individual states. Click here. |
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June
2006 - Higher
Education The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education has announced the release of American Higher Education: How Does It Measure Up for the 21st Century? This report by former North Carolina Governor James B. Hunt Jr. and business leader Thomas J. Tierney with a Foreword by former New Mexico Governor Garrey Carruthers is now available on the National Center’s website at http://www.highereducation.org/reports/hunt_tierney/. |
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The South Carolina Department of Education has released the results of End-of-Course tests administered during the 2004-05 school year to public school students in the “gateway” courses: Algebra, English, Biology, and Physical Science. Access by clicking here.
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Demographics |
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April 26,2007 - Changing Faces of South Carolina: A Profile
of South Carolina Senior Citizens In 2004, Richard Young of the Institute for Public Service and Policy Research published an article, “Aging in America with Some Review of the Status of Older South Carolinians” in the Public Policy in Practice. Mark Bondo seeks to further the discussion of the growing senior citizen population in South Carolina in the following paper. |
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Government Administration |
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March 3, 2008 – The State Management Report Card for 2008 While the South Carolina Indicators Project emphasizes policy outcomes, we won’t overlook the importance of measuring and improving government management practices. Therefore, we take this opportunity to highlight the just released State Management Report Card for 2008, available in the current issue of Governing magazine and also available online from governing.com and the Pew Center on the States. States are graded in four areas (information, people, money, and infrastructure) and then assigned an overall grade. South Carolina’s overall grade is B- , not too bad when you consider that the highest overall grade was A-, and only three states got that. Most were in the B and C range-allowing for some pluses and a few minuses, and one was given a D+. Report writers complimented South Carolina on its approach to managing people, money, and information; but its approach to using those resources, especially information, to guide policy makers in making decisions about infrastructure fall woefully short according to the authors. Well-meaning people may and will disagree on the particulars, but this report and its predecessors can generate some interesting conversation and direct readers to innovative ideas across the states. If you haven’t done so yet, access the report here.
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| The South Carolina Indicators Project inaugural staff. Please click here. |
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