This website is best viewed in a browser that supports web standards.

Skip to content or, if you would rather, Skip to navigation.

Listen Live
Donate
MARYVILLE

KXCV-KRNW


News Brief

June 11, 2024 |  By: Mark Moran - Public News Service

Report: Iowa students' reading, math deficiencies 'concerning'

kids

By Mark Moran - Public News Service

New data rank Iowa seventh in the nation for the overall health and well-being of its kids.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation's Kids Count Data Book shows while Iowa did well among many of the 16 key indicators, some areas need improvement.

The report focuses in part on educational indicators and shows a drastic drop in the performance of the state's public schools, which are historically among Iowa's crown jewels.

Iowa Common Good Executive Director Anne Dichser called the school's performance numbers "concerning."

"Like on fourth grade reading proficiency, Iowa ranked 17th among the states this year," said Dichser. "Two-thirds of fourth graders were not proficient in reading. On eighth grade math proficiency, Iowa ranked 16th. Not quite three in four students were not proficient in math. So, we have real challenges. "

Iowa dropped to 17th in fourth-grade reading proficiency and 16th in eighth-grade math proficiency.

The research used numbers from the 2022 school year, and Discher said some of the lower scores could be a lingering effect of the pandemic.

She added policy solutions are in place to address the deficiencies. The state also improved in the category of Family and Community Issues.

For the first time in more than 20 years, Iowa slipped as the leader in high school graduation rates into a tie for seventh among the states.

Discher said the poor school performance numbers hit especially hard in a state that has a reputation for making its public schools a top priority.

"Gosh, the beginning of the century, you know when the mint did the state quarters," said Dichser, "Iowa put a one-room schoolhouse on its quarter, and I think the phrase was 'Foundation in Education.'"

The state saw important improvements in the "Kids Count" numbers.

Fewer children are living in poverty and in single-parent families. The teen birth rate also dropped.