A new WestEd report details the reasons behind the current standing of Nevada's education system and recommends seven actions to spur needed improvements on behalf of Nevada's children and for securing the state's economic health.
Nevada continues to rank at or near the bottom in state-by-state comparisons for student achievement in reading and math. "Nevada's poor marks largely stem from the state's population boom, particularly in Clark and Washoe Counties, and this rapid influx of new students," says Paul Koehler, Director of WestEd's Policy Center. "Teachers face additional challenges from immigrant students who struggle to learn English at the same time they must learn math and science content."
Nevada also has one of the lowest high school graduation rates in the nation, as well as exceptionally low numbers of students going on to college - bad news for civic leaders wishing to diversify the Nevada economy. "It's difficult to entice new business development when we can't offer corporations a highly educated workforce," says Jim Hager, co-director of the Center for Education Policy Studies (CEPS) at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. "There's a clear and unfortunate link between low paying jobs, a service- and tourism-based economy, and our low graduation rates." Nearly 60 percent of Nevada's jobs pay less than a living wage for a three-person family, and the resulting poverty correlates with low education achievement. Not surprisingly, Las Vegas, where these service and tourism jobs are concentrated, ranks last in level of education among all major U.S. metropolitan areas, even when factoring in highly educated workers recruited from other states.
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