Tennessee’s Education Gains Offset by Losses in Other Domains
June 20, 2020
Nashville, TN – The well-being of Tennessee children has improved in many areas in the last 8 years, according to information in the KIDS COUNT® Data Book released today by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Despite having been ranked in the 40s in earlier years, the state’s overall rankings in recent years have stayed in the 30s, including its ranking of 39th in the 2020 report.
“While changes in the way the data are collected limit our ability to compare this year’s ranking to older ones, TCCY is pleased Tennessee now ranks better than it did in the early days of its participation in KIDS COUNT when the state ranking was much nearer the bottom,” said Richard Kennedy, Executive Director of the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, the state’s KIDS COUNT affiliate.
Tennessee Shows Reduction in the Number of Children Living in Concentrated Poverty
September 25, 2019
One of 29 States Nationwide to Show Progress in Child Poverty Rate According to New Data Snapshot from the Annie E. Casey Foundation
Nashville, TN – The percentage of Tennessee children living in areas of concentrated poverty fell 7% between 2013 and 2017, according to “Children Living in High Poverty, Low-Opportunity Neighborhoods,” a new KIDS COUNT® data snapshot released today by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
Using the latest data available from the U.S. Census Bureau, the snapshot examines where concentrated poverty has worsened across the country despite a long period of national economic expansion.
Living in a neighborhood with a high level of concentrated poverty, in addition to putting children at risk from environmental exposure and reduced opportunities, can cause chronic stress and trauma.
Kids Count State of the Child: Are Tennessee Children Prepared to Learn?
December 5, 2014
Nashville, TN – At the beginning of the school year, children wait for the school bus or in the drop-off lane for their first experience of school. Many of them arrive with the skills they need to learn. Many, however, arrive with gaps in the foundation for learning that must be filled so they can make the most of their experience.
Children do not enter school as blank slates, each equally impressionable to educators’ efforts. Children enter school with figurative backpacks. Some children come with an eagerness to learn, good health, emotional security and a sense of safety fostered by a supportive family and community. Others come without important tools for learning and already weighed down by the trauma of poverty, hunger, violence or abuse.
Tennessee Improves in National KIDS COUNT Ranking on Child Well-Being
July 23, 2014
Nashville, TN – Tennessee is 36th this year in the annual KIDS COUNT National Data Book ranking on child well-being, better than its 39th ranking in 2013. The state is among the five states with the biggest improvements in overall rankings from 2013 to 2014.
The Data Book rates states on four domains: Economic Well-Being, Education, Health, and Family and Community. Each domain is comprised of four measures. When the most recently available data were compared to those from 2005, Tennessee improved on 10 of the 16 measures; worsened on five and remained the same on one, paralleling national changes.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oz-tTU7vFtI[/youtube] [Read more]
Tennessee Fourth Graders’ National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Reading Scores Improved over 10-Year Period
January 29, 2014
Nashville, TN – Fourth grade reading scores of Tennessee students improved more over the past 10 years than those of students in most other states, a new data snapshot on education finds.
The report, KIDS COUNT Data Snapshot: Early Reading Proficiency in the United States, compares 2003 and 2013 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) fourth grade reading scores.
It was issued by the Annie E. Casey Foundation KIDS COUNT Program. [Read more]
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam proclaims October 18th Lights On Afterschool Day
October 18, 2012
Nashville, TN – These days communities need every tool to prepare children for the future. Lights On Afterschool Day recognizes one tool that enhances learning and keeps children safe and less likely to engage in risky behavior – afterschool programs.
Governor Bill Haslam has named October 18th as Lights On Afterschool Day in Tennessee. The proclamation, which was requested by the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth (TCCY), marks the 13th annual national Lights On Afterschool Day. [Read more]
