America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2009

Education

The education of children shapes their own personal development and life chances, as well as the economic and social progress of our Nation. This section presents key indicators of how well children are learning and progressing from early childhood through postsecondary school. An indicator on family reading to young children suggests the extent of home support for early learning. Scores on national assessments of mathematics and reading for elementary, middle, and high school students are presented, followed by an indicator on advanced coursetaking. High school completion and college enrollment rates indicate the extent to which students have attained a basic education and are prepared for higher levels of education or the workforce. By contrast, the indicator on youth neither enrolled in school nor working tracks the extent to which youth are at risk of limiting their future prospects at a critical stage of their lives.