California lags behind Virginia, New Jersey, Minnesota and 30 other states when it comes to providing children with the chance for success. That’s according to a new survey out Wednesday. From Sacramento, Steve Milne reports.
The report’s authors say California kids face a number of hurdles even before they enter kindergarten. There’s a lot of initial disadvantage among young children in California.
Christopher Swanson led the research for Education Week’s “Quality Counts” study. He says California scored poorly on a number of factors that impact how well children perform in school such as family income, parental education and English language fluency. But Swanson says California kids start to make gains once they enter school.
Swanson: And then a strong economy in California picks things up toward the end when folks get into adulthood.
Reacting to the new report, State Schools Chief Jack O’Connell says it shows that a child’s chance for success requires involvement not just from educators but from government, businesses and communities. In Sacramento, I’m Steve Milne.
