19. Race for Results: Composite Well-Being Information
The most recent Kids Count report, Race for Results Index (2014), was developed to better measure the impact of a child’s race on their opportunity for success in adulthood. The Race for Results Index compares how children are progressing on key milestones across racial and ethnic groups – white, African American, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Latino children at the national and state levels. The index is based on the following 12 indicators that measure a child’s success in each stage of life, from birth to adulthood:
- Babies born at normal birthweight.
- Children ages three to five enrolled in nursery school, preschool, or kindergarten.
- Fourth graders who scored at or above proficient in reading.
- Eighth graders who scored at or above proficient in math.
- Females ages 15 to 19 who delay childbearing until adulthood.
- High school students graduating on time.
- Young adults ages 19 to 26 who are in school or working.
- Young adults ages 25 to 29 who have completed an associate’s degree or higher.
- Children birth to 17 who live with a householder who has at least a high school diploma.
- Children birth to 17 who live in two-parent families.
- Children birth to 17 who live in families with incomes at or above 200 percent of poverty.
- Children birth to 17 who live in low-poverty areas (poverty <20 percent).
The indicators were chosen based on the goal that all children should grow up in economically successful families, live in supportive communities and meet developmental, health, and educational milestones.
Race for Results calls attention to disparities and shows they exist in each state in the country. Much like the previous data provided in this Chart Book, Race for Results to some degree quantifies the different worlds and expectations children – particularly African American, American Indian and Latino children – experience compared to their white counterparts. Although states vary in their children’s racial and ethnic make-up, all states are becoming more diverse and all states have disparities in well-being across the different measures used by Race for Results to contrast well-being among children of different backgrounds.
Table 30 shows the composite scores for white, African American, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Latino children for the United States as a whole and by individual state. The higher the score, the better the state is doing with specific ethnic child populations.