A new study released Tuesday finds Indiana among the ten worst states for black children, highlighting the disparity in opportunity between African-American youth and their peers.
The policy report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, titled "Race for Results," measures 12 factors in an effort to chart child progression nationwide. Those include everything from reading proficiency to graduation rates to the number of children living near or below the federal poverty level.
Using those factors, the foundation created a score in an attempt to compare the progress of children from different races and ethnic backgrounds across the U.S.
The report does not mince words when it comes to the prospects for black youth, saying the findings for African-American children constitute a “national crisis.”
Indiana ranks as the 8th-worst state in the nation for African-American children. Meanwhile, the state ranked 12th-best for white children, highlighting the racial disparity previous research revealed in everything from income to graduation rates.
Indiana’s neighbors – Michigan and Ohio – were also among the worst states for black youth. The report highlights the Midwest and the Mississippi Delta as regions with a particularly troublesome outlook for African-Americans.
The foundation does recommend steps to alleviate the disparity, including better data collection and the wider implementation of programs with proven track records and community input.
