National indicators on Child Well-Being

Posted by on September 9, 2005

[posted from Public Education Network newsblast]

AMERICAS CHILDREN: KEY NATIONAL INDICATORS OF WELL-BEING 2005
A new report presents a comprehensive look at critical areas of child well-being, including statistical indicators of trends in education, health status, behavior and social environment, and economic security. The composite picture presented by the report notes recent improvements in child well-being as well as continuing challenges. Among the educational data in the report provided by the National Center for Education Statistics are the fact that 4th- and 8th-graders are scoring better in mathematics and that reading scores of 12th-graders have declined slightly. In addition, the adolescent birth rate has reached a record low, the death rate for children between ages 1 and 4 is the lowest ever, and young children are more likely to receive their recommended
immunizations. At the same time, children are also more likely to live in poverty and infants are more likely to be of low birthweight. This years report includes special features on lead in the blood of children, asthma, parental reports of emotional and behavioral difficulties and a special section on family structure and childrens well-being.

http://childstats.gov/americaschildren