The annual Kids Count report ranks Iowa 7th in the U.S. for child well-being, down one slot from last year.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation report looks at child economic well-being, education, health and family, and community.
Anne Discher is executive director of Common Good Iowa, which advocates for children and families. Discher says it’s easy to focus on Iowa’s overall high ranking, but she’s concerned because the state’s education ranking dropped four places.
“The numbers are really pretty alarming,” Discher says, “and I think, especially when you’re looking at those proficiency levels, two-thirds of Iowa fourth graders did not test proficient in reading.”
She says it’s important to keep in mind things like historic and structural racism in reports like this.
“Although we are becoming a more diverse state, we’re still a pretty white state,” Discher says. “To some extent, I mean, honestly, our rankings just really reflect the fact that we have a disproportionate amount of white students who just tend to do better on these things.”
Iowa’s rankings fell in each category as compared to last year’s report, except for economic well-being where Iowa remains third in the nation.
(By Natalie Krebs, Iowa Public Radio)