First-ever U.S. School Success Index Ranks 50 States and District of Columbia; U.S. Losing Ground Compared to Other Wealthy Nations

WESTPORT, Conn. (May 5, 2009) — Young children in five New England states are more likely to succeed in elementary school than children elsewhere in the country, according to the 10th annual State of the World's Mothers 2009 report issued today by Save the Children, a U.S.-based global independent humanitarian organization.

Overall, compared to other wealthy nations, the report says the United States is losing ground in educational attainment and ranks toward the bottom on a number of key indicators that measure national commitment to early childhood development.

The new report presents a first-ever U.S. index on how well prepared young children are to succeed in school in 50 states and the District of Columbia, based on  indicators that include parental involvement in learning activities, quality of home life and preschool participation.

Top 5 States — Bottom 5 States

Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont and Maine are the top five states where parents and communities appear to be doing a better job of preparing children to succeed in school.  

New Mexico, Nevada, Mississippi, Arizona and Alabama are the states where young children face the greatest obstacles to success in school, according to the report.

"Hard-working parents everywhere, especially mothers, need more support from society to give children the care and support they need in their early years," said Charles MacCormack, president and CEO of Save the Children.

"Nearly 2.5 million fourth graders, for example, are not reading at grade level — that's 68 percent of all American fourth graders in public schools," MacCormack said.  He noted, "U.S. economists have shown that a strong investment in children's development at the earliest stages can yield substantial improvements in classroom performance, lower health care costs, higher workforce productivity, lower welfare costs and less crime."

"Comprehensive early childhood development programs, starting in infancy, can put millions of children in the United States and worldwide on the path to school success," said MacCormack. "There are simple steps that parents and caregivers, even the poorest, can do to help babies and toddlers grow up healthier, do well in school, and reach their full potential."

Comparing U.S. to 24 Other Wealthy Nations

The report includes a comparison of the U.S. and 24 other developed nations on how they meet 10 benchmarks of early childhood development. Sweden meets all 10, while Canada and Ireland meet only one. The U.S. ranks near the bottom, meeting only three. Save the Children believes these shortcomings are directly related to falling educational achievement in the United States. 

Four decades ago, according to the report, the United States had the best high-school graduation rate in the world, but by 2006 it had slipped to 18th out of 24 industrialized countries. As recently as 1995, the United States was still tied for first place in the proportion of young adults with a college degree, but by 2000 it had slipped to ninth place, and by 2006 to 14th place. The United States also has one of the highest college dropout rates in the industrialized world: 53 percent of Americans who enter college do not finish.

School Success Index for Developing Countries

The report also evaluated early childhood development in 100 developing nations and found Cuba and Armenia leading the world's developing countries in helping to prepare young children to succeed in school. 

Among the report's key findings for the developing world:

• Chad, Afghanistan, Burundi, Guinea-Bissau and Mali are the countries where children are most likely face the greatest obstacles to success in school.

• Top-ranked Cuba, Armenia, Cyprus, Chile and Azerbaijan are the developing countries where children are better prepared to succeed in primary school.

• Worldwide, at least 75 million children are not in primary school, either because they drop out in the early grades or because they never got the chance to attend school at all.

• World Bank economists estimate that each additional year of primary education increases a person's future productivity by 10 to 30 percent, depending on the country.

• Nearly 40 percent of all children under 5 in the developing world fail to reach their potential in cognitive development because of poverty, poor health and nutrition and deficient care. That's more than 200 million children worldwide.

Recommendations

To help ensure more children succeed in school, Save the Children has developed the following recommendations:

• Invest in better health care for mothers and young children.

• Provide coaching and information to help mothers and fathers give their young children the best possible chance to succeed.

• Improve training and support for early child care providers and preschool teachers.

• Expand early learning opportunities for children affected by AIDS, conflict and natural disasters. 

• Increase government support for proven early childhood development solutions in the United States and around the world.

For more information on the State of the World's Mothers 2009 report, go to: www.savethechildren.org/worlds-mothers-report

Download the full report and executive summary at: www.savethechildren.org/worlds-mothers-report-download

Save the Children is the leading independent organization that creates lasting change for children in need in the United States and around the world. Save the Children works in rural communities throughout the United States and in more than 30 countries worldwide in partnership with governments, communities and corporations to deliver innovative early childhood development programs for children from birth through age 8. Save the Children USA is a member of the International Save the Children Alliance, a global network of 27 independent Save the Children organizations working to ensure the well-being and protection of children in more than 120 countries. Follow us on Twitter.