Cuba

By J. Mac Holladay, President, CEO, and Founder

I returned last week from a week in Cuba. After spending two days in Havana, the Washington & Lee Alumni College group sailed around the western edge of the island and proceeded to the Isle of Youth, the largest of the Canarreos Archipelago. After visiting the capitol, Nueva Gerona, we traveled on to Cayo Largo, Trinidad, and Cienfuegos. We then drove across the mid-section of Cuba to the Havana airport to catch our one hour and thirty minute non-stop Delta flight back to Atlanta. 

My impressions are too numerous to recount in this short piece, but I do want convey both some facts and thoughts. There were many surprises for me. Here are a few comparison facts to consider:

1) The voting age there is 16 versus our 18.

2) In the hospital, there is a 24% less chance of infant death than in the United States. 4.7 of 1000 babies die in Cuba before age of one, while 6.17 die in the US.

3) While there remain some critical questions about Cuba’s 1980’s HIV program, last year there were only 100 HIV deaths in Cuba. Click here for an in-depth 2012 NYT article about the program.

4) Cuba is having 26% fewer children than in the US. Annual births there are 9.90 per 1000, while in the US it is 13.4.

5) The per capita expense on health care is 93.7% less than in the US. The total public and private expenses per person in Cuba reach $558 versus $8995 in the US. 

6) The inflation rate there is 5.5% versus 2.1% here.

7) The National Parliament has 45% female members versus 22% in our Congress. 

8) Private ownership of fire arms is forbidden. In fact, only the National Police have weapons, the local police have only night sticks. 

Our visit was both “people to people” and educational. Two Washington and Lee professors presented lectures about Cuban history, Castro, and the life and culture there. The lack of new equipment from cars to tractors to trucks was evident everywhere. In many places, horses (many of them under great stress) were pulling carts and doing hard work. While much of the country appears very capable of agricultural production, only sugar cane and tobacco were evident. Yes, there were some “classic cars” somehow beautifully restored, but many more vehicles are barely working with engines and parts from any and everywhere. 

Both Trinidad and Cienfuegos have been declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites. I sincerely hope that all of central Havana can receive the same designation. There are literally hundreds of beautiful buildings in Havana that have not been touched since the 1950’s. The opportunity for historic restoration projects is almost unlimited. 

Recently, the government has allowed entrepreneurs to thrive and keep the vast majority of their profits. While the country is not part of the international banking community, small business is growing. What is badly needed is massive foreign direct investment in major industry sectors still under full governmental control. There is no doubt that the now nearly 60 year old US embargo has crippled the Cuban economy. 

The educational and medical systems were far more advanced than I thought they would be. The deep commitment to the arts including music, dance, and graphic arts were evident in all the schools we visited. The health care system begins at the neighborhood level and continues through excellent hospitals and research and development. Both education and health care are free at all levels. 

With a population of over 11 million, this 792 mile long island nation has amazing economic opportunity for the future. Many believe that the changes now underway are unstoppable, and that once Raoul Castro is gone as president a new era will begin, perhaps with the United States as a full partner.

K-12 Innovation

By Ranada Robinson, Research Manager

In December 2015, President Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which replaces the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Recently, Market Street staff participated in a webinar hosted by Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives entitled “K-12 Innovation and Accountability,” which featured three panelists who discussed their professional experiences in transitioning to the new ESSA standards. According to Alliance for Excellent Education, the following features set ESSA apart from NCLB:

• All students must be on a path to postsecondary education, and states have flexibility to design an accountability system that supports this
• States set their own ambitious goals and short-term measures of progress
• The Accountability System includes an indicator of “school quality or student success”
• Interventions for low-performing schools are locally-tailored in consultation with teachers, stakeholders, etc., rather than federally prescribed

The focus of the webinar was on what chambers can do to help states improve education policy and outcomes. In our work, we’ve seen (and encouraged) more and more chambers and EDOs doing more in the workforce development space and helping to create and make stronger the link between what schools are including in academic curriculum and special programs and what businesses need. Christopher Shearer, the Education Program Officer at the Hewlett Foundation encourages chambers to do the following to help states:

• Use their convening power to host stakeholder meetings for local education agency leadership and regional business leaders
• Ask state leaders if the state plan includes a career readiness indicator
• Discuss potential collaboration opportunities for work-based learning, internships for students, externships for teachers, guest speaking, mentorship, and job shadowing
• Be open to other ways state officials might be able to include the business community in implementation

A few of the notable programs that were mentioned during the webinar were the Louisiana Jump Start initiative, described by Liz Smith, the Director of Policy and Research at the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, and the L.A. Compact, described by David Rattray, Executive Vice President of Education and Workforce Development at the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce. 

Jump Start – Jump Start Louisiana was rolled out in 2014 by state superintendent John White as a way to “restore the dignity” of career and technical education and to recognize that earning an undergraduate degree is not the only path to the middle class. Starting with the Class of 2018, there are two high school diploma pathways: (1) TOPS University, for students who want to attend college after graduation, prepares students to qualify for a TOPS scholarship, and (2) Jump Start Pathway, for students interested in college and/or career, which allows students to earn industry credentials that will help them attain entry-level employment after graduation and continue their education at a community or technical college. There are also opportunities for teachers, including externships, training for industry credentials, access to industry experts in any business sector in which they are interested anywhere in the United States, and stipends from the Louisiana Department of Education to develop course materials.

L.A. Compact – The L.A. Compact was first introduced in 2010 as a commitment by a broad range of community partners to focus on increasing graduation rates, ensuring that students are prepared for college, and providing more meaningful career opportunities to students. The partners included City officials, the Los Angeles Unified School District, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Greater Los Angeles, the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, and 11 colleges and universities in the Los Angeles area. The Compact later won an Investing in Innovation Fund grant from the U.S. Department of Education for its proposal entitled “L.A.’s Bold Competition – Turning Around and Operating Its Low-Performing Schools.” Since then, the initiative has developed into a collective impact initiative with goals, workgroups focused on major components of those goals, and measurement tracking. 

As the nation moves into transitioning to implementation of ESSA, this is an opportune time for the business community to become more engaged in the workforce pipeline—understanding that starting early by making sure Pre-K – 12 programs are strong and will prepare students for their eventual careers or for continued higher education only helps to support businesses in the long-term. Talent has become and will remain the #1 issue for economic development, and teamwork across community partners will be vital to the betterment of our children and future working adults.

Best Practices and Issues: Back to School Edition

By Kathy Young, Principal and COO

Hard to believe, but students around the country will be heading back to school soon. In many communities, teachers and administrators are already deep into their planning work and preparing for the coming academic year. To celebrate this annual transition, we’re highlighting a few best practices and issues as we reflect on the critical connection between education and economic development.

In a blog post earlier this year, I shared information about a good resource for hands-on learning at the elementary school level, sponsored by Junior Achievement (JA), an organization that has been around for 97 years and has a global reach. Later in the spring I also participated in the “JA Day” at my daughter’s school, which was similar to the program described here. The morning session provided students with the opportunity to learn key business and economic concepts from business community volunteers (who are also often parents). JA provides all of the materials (featured in the photo below), but the volunteers are empowered to deliver the curriculum directly, with only classroom management support from the teacher. 

The experience is rewarding for volunteers and a treat for the students. Teachers have some time to spend on planning, and the school strengthens its relationship with the community. And for those of us with no teaching experience, working with a class of 20 elementary school students was an intense experience. Many schools have guest reader or Principal for a Day programs – which help connect students to business representatives and role models. Those programs give participants a glimpse into the challenges and opportunities that come with public education as well. But if you’d really like to understand the job of a teacher, you literally need to walk a mile in their shoes. Four hours in the classroom only scratches the surface of course, but if you would like to help your community leaders understand some of the educational issues in your schools, developing a partnership with JA might start some great conversations.

One of our client communities in Alabama (Decatur-Morgan County) has been having some fascinating dialogues about education and workforce training for more than a decade, thanks to the launch of the Summer Welding & Electrical Technology (SWeETy) Camp for 9th – 12th grade young ladies from local schools. Hosted by the Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce and education partners, the camp’s goal is to offer young women an opportunity to learn hands-on about technical skills that can lead to high-paying, satisfying careers in high growth industries. 

Not far away, in Carroll County, Georgia, one of the community’s business leaders, Southwire, developed the cooperative 12 for Life program with the school system in 2007. The program is intended to provide “students a place where they can mix classroom time with time on the floor at a real manufacturing plant, gaining an education, a paycheck, key work and life skills, and the all-important hope—for a diploma, for success in the workplace, and for a better life.” 12 for Life has received national media attention and continues to maintain a focused approach to the initial goals of 2007.

My colleague, Ranada Robinson has shared many other best practices and updates from education field, including takeaways from the 2015 Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. (ABC) Workforce Week Conference, where she presented this past March, and a webinar that shared research regarding school takeovers by state governments. Stay tuned for more updates about education best practices, trends, and issues that could impact your community.

As August beings, we wish the best to our communities as they transition back into the school year, and look forward to featuring some of the businesses and community leaders that are making education a priority and strengthening the economic and workforce development partnerships that are vital to success.

Are State School Takeovers the Best Option?

By Ranada Robinson, Research Manager

Last month, a few Market Street staff participated in the Southern Education Foundation webinar, The Facts about State Takeovers of Public Schools. The Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools and Center for Popular Democracy were co-hosts and provided presenters. We were interested in this webinar because an increased number of states across the country have passed or are considering legislation to allow the state to take control of local low-performing schools and/or school districts. This webinar presented statistics regarding the three states that have already done so in an effort to improve results: Louisiana, Michigan, and Tennessee. According to the research, the takeovers have not been successful in improving low-performing schools but have further disenfranchised minority students. Here are some high-level takeaways from each speaker’s presentation, including a few alternative solutions with positive track records.

 

State Takeover Districts – A Growing Threat: Katherine Dunn, Southern Education Foundation

States that have passed legislation to take control of individual schools by removing them from the local jurisdiction and placing them in a “state school district” are:

• Louisiana (2003) – The Recovery School District
• Tennessee (2010) – The Achievement School District
• Michigan (2013) – The Education Achievement Authority
• Nevada (2015) – The Achievement School District (No data available yet)
• Georgia will face this issue via ballot in November 2016.
• Similar legislation is under review or pending in: Mississippi, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and South Carolina. 

The Targeting of State Takeovers in African American and Latino Communities: Keron Blair, Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools

In August 2015, the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools released a report entitled Out of Control: The Systematic Disenfranchisement of African American and Latino Communities through School Takeovers as a commemoration of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which is considered one of the most far-reaching pieces of civil rights legislation in U.S. history.

Within the current operational takeover districts examined, tens of thousands of students are in schools that are under state control. After a school has been placed under state control, elected school boards and voters have no governance. These takeovers tend to occur in urban centers that have high concentrations of minority population—in Louisiana, 63 of the schools in the Recovery School District are in New Orleans, compared to 12 in Baton Rouge. In Tennessee, 27 of the state’s 29 Achievement School District schools are in Memphis, with the remaining two in Nashville. In Michigan, all 15 schools in the Education Achievement Authority are in Detroit. Combined, there have been 101 schools placed in state control, and of the 47,596 students enrolled in those schools, 97% are African American. Eighty-nine of the schools have been converted to charter schools.


The Academic Record of State Takeovers: Kyle Serrette, Center for Popular Democracy

In February 2016, the Center of Popular Democracy released its State Takeovers of Low-Performing Schools: A Record of Academic Failure, Financial Management, & Student Harm report that debunks the theory that making the structural change of taking over a school at the state-level will lead to strategic changes that will result in higher performing schools. The overarching issue is that many of the states have not created mechanisms to help struggling schools move from an F to a D to a C, and so forth, leaving many states to just close the school eventually. Additionally, high expectations are set, but inadequate support is given to help meet those expectations.

In Louisiana, over 21,000 children are in D and F rated charter schools. The state has spent over $700 million on these schools. However, in the 2013-14 academic year, 42% of charters are still D & F rated.

In Michigan, 10,000 students are in the 15 Detroit schools placed in the Education Achievement Authority. The Michigan Educational Assessment Program results indicated that a high majority of these students are stagnating in reaching math and reading proficiency or are falling even further behind. The chancellor of the Authority recently stated that, “three years into this, achievement hasn’t improved.”

In Nashville, the goal was to “turn the state’s bottom five percent of schools to the top 25% in five years.” Results from 2014 indicate that reading scores were lower in the Achievement School District schools than they were before the state took them over in 2012. Good news, though, is that math scores have increased by more than five points.

 

A Real Strategy for School Improvement: Sustainable Community Schools: Ken Zarifis, Education Austin

In 2007-2008, Austin had two schools in danger of closing: Webb Middle School and Reagan High School, but the community came together to prevent the closure and started with three questions:

• What do you love about your schools?
• What creates barriers to your success?
• What resources do you need to overcome those barriers?

The plan for the schools addressed attendance, mobility, and social needs. A Family Resource Center was established. Eight years later, these schools are top performers with the same neighborhood students. Enrollment at both schools has doubled, and student mobility decreased from 35% to 25%. Graduation rates have increased from 48% to 85%, and Webb has earned five state academic distinctions in 2013-2014 and three in 2014-2015. The Early College High School program offers up to 60 college credits.

Wraparound services are a key component to support the students, but this alone isn’t enough—a strong academic model is also necessary. Now, Education Austin’s goal is to make Austin School District a community school district. Both the City of Austin and Travis County support and have made investments. Five of 8 elementary schools have developed plans, and the second middle school is currently developing its plan. Education Austin continues to work with courts, health and human services, and other public departments to address student needs. They are also pursuing legislation at the state-level to support community schools.

Talent continues to be the #1 issue in economic development, and winning communities know that their talent pipeline includes their pre-K through 12 programs. No matter what is best programmatically in specific communities, it is important to make well-informed, research-based decisions. According to the Southern Education Foundation, to date, there is no evidence that state takeovers are effective. However, their research indicates that the following factors are associated with stronger outcomes:

• Access to high quality early childhood and pre-K programs
• Collaboration and stability in school leadership
• Good teaching by experienced educators
• A learning environment focused on students, and positive and restorative discipline practices rather than zero tolerance
• A rigorous curriculum that is broad, engaging, and culturally relevant
• Wraparound support services, like health services and after-school activities, for both students and the broader community
• Deep parent, community, and school ties
• Consistent investment in schools, not constant budget cuts

For more information about community schools and the aforementioned best practice factors for better outcomes, please download Investing in What Works: Community-Driven Strategies for Strong Public Schools, published in 2015 by the Southern Education Foundation and the Annenburg Institute for School Reform, and Community Schools: Transforming Struggling Schools into Thriving Schools, published in 2016 by the Center for Popular Democracy, Coalition for Community Schools, and Southern Education Foundation.

Best Practice Report: Hands on Learning for Students

By Kathy Young, Principal and COO 

During our strategic planning processes around the country, our team often recommends best practices when there is an opportunity for our client to learn from the experience of other communities and regions. Often, these examples are drawn from comparable communities’ experiences with a program or initiative that has resulted in proven success. Sometimes we recommend that our clients look into an innovative new program that may not have a proven track record yet, but has successfully inspired collaboration and helped strategic efforts gain momentum.

Less often, there are programs operating a national level that deserve a second look (or sometimes it’s the first look). Junior Achievement (JA) is one of these programs. Because the organization has been around for 97 years and has a global reach, most of our community leaders have heard of their many programs. Often, Steering Committee members and stakeholders are involved already. But occasionally, we hear about a need for greater financial literacy education or entrepreneurial programs in a community that hasn’t already established a JA connection, and we encourage our clients to consider learning more.

In the interest of checking in on one of our best practice programs, I recently volunteered at the Discovery Center in downtown Atlanta, one of two such facilities in the region – the other is in Gwinnett County, a client community with a very strong education system, which was awarded the 2010 and 2014 Broad Prize for Urban Education.

JA Discovery Center, Atlanta (sourced from georgia.ja.org)

 
In about a month, I will also be volunteering for “JA Day” at an elementary school in Smyrna, Georgia to see an in-class experience. I should note that my interest is both professional and personal, as my youngest daughter attends the elementary school in question, and there has been interest in getting a Discovery Center in our county.

I had heard great things about the Discovery Center – and after serving as a “Chief Volunteer Officer” alongside seven enthusiastic 6th graders from The Champion School in Stone Mountain Georgia – I can safely say that my expectations were easily met. The experiential program that JA Georgia has put together is impressive, and seamless integration of corporate partners turns what the students might have assumed would be a fun field trip into a realistic venture that is truly empowering and inspiring. The day trip to the Center (which serves 65,000 students a year) caps off an in-class curriculum-based experience led by teachers in the weeks prior to the visit.

By giving the student teams clear job descriptions and time-based expectations, the program motivates them to work together and helps them attach meaning to otherwise abstract concepts. I was assigned to the Chick-Fil-A team, which was responsible for catering for the 150 person group in attendance (handing out the bagged lunches) and was challenged to sell products throughout the session (the mini cow toy).

I expected my team to be full of excited sales associates, which they were, and my Marketing Director definitely put his gift of gab to good use. However, what most impressed me was how the other students stepped naturally into their roles and took responsibility for the more tedious jobs like paying invoices and logging sales by hand (in addition to the fun job of swiping their JA Biztown bank cards). They set a sales price and then adjusted it quickly when sales were slow, and most importantly came to the decision collaboratively and without my help.

The career education component is another perk of the Discovery Center. In addition to the sales associates and the marketing position, each team had a store manager, a CFO, and a CEO. There was a Mayor for the day, and every team interacted with the bank and received their product from UPS. By the end of the day, many of the students had begun to sense where their skillsets and personalities could fit in a business setting.

There are dozens of locations throughout the U.S. that provide communities with local access to JA programs, and as with all examples that we provide for our clients, it’s important to note that one size doesn’t fit all. If JA isn’t the answer for your community, or isn’t available to you and your partners in education and workforce development, talking about the programs and the value of experiential learning may still spur the kinds of conversations that are needed.

The Road Ahead

By J. Mac Holladay, Founder and CEO

Years ago I wrote many “chamber commentaries” for the Charleston News and Courier. I covered many issues particularly education reform, governance, and economic development. As I prepared to leave Charleston to begin work as the Director of the State Development Board, I wrote this final column. Please note that the date I wrote this was July 29^th, 1985.

“The Lowcountry has endured a great deal. 

It has a rich history of success and failure, prosperity and poverty. 

In some ways our community faces another important crossroad. 

The past twenty years have been tremendous in terms of growth and development. 

The economy across this nation is changing…we are part of a world economy. 

We must understand our opportunities and assets in terms of reality, not fantasy. 

Education is the only thing that unlocks the future for individuals and communities.

Our work has only just begun…

There is one element that is the key to these issues and countless others unnamed.

That one necessity is leadership…leadership knows no color, no age, no sex; it only understands results.

 It relates only to people, for it’s through people that this happens.  

Nothing happens by accident; people make things happen. 

The road ahead is exciting and frightening. It can lead one way or another. 

The Trident must choose its course.”

J. Mac Holladay
Chamber Commentary
The News and Courier/The Evening Post
July 29, 1985

It is amazing to realize how many things have changed over the years, but the things that make great communities remain constant. Understanding the core issues is as vital in 2015 as it were 30 years ago.

Some College, No Degree

By Katie Thomas, Project Associate

In today’s economy, postsecondary education is now more important than ever before, while at the same time being more expensive than ever before. However, today’s blog is not about highlighting the importance of higher educational attainment or about how it is a key contributor to an individual’s lifetime earnings and wellbeing, among various other factors. It’s also not about the increase in tuition expenses and college costs – I’ll save that for another day. It’s about the most expensive education – the one that doesn’t lead to a degree.

Of all the data that we analyze when examining a community’s workforce, the one indicator that always concerns me is the educational attainment of the population with some college, no degree. It’s a vague indicator about that portion of the population’s educational level, which leaves me frustrated and yearning for more information. Are those individuals still currently pursuing higher education? Did they attend a postsecondary institution to get training in an occupation that requires a certificate, and therefore they don’t need a degree for their career field? Or, is it that they dropped out of college? 

The last question is the one that worries me the most. Not only do I fear that they may have enrolled in higher education and dropped out, I worry about what that cost them. While it’s true that individuals drop out for a variety of reasons, whether it’s a personal reason, a financial constraint, or another reason, I worry about the student loans that they may have accrued during their time attending postsecondary institutions and about those individuals possibly defaulting on them because their education did not lead to that higher paying, higher quality job that they had imagined when they first enrolled. As the costs to attend college continue to increase, the importance of ensuring that individuals are adequately prepared to succeed at the university-level and that they receive a quality education continues to grow.

This week the U.S. Department of Education released “Fact Sheet: Focusing Higher Education on Student Success.” It reported the graduation rates (percentage of students that earn a four-year degree within six years or less) and the student loan default rate by state, and also separated the data based on public; private, non-profit; and private, for-profit colleges. Among many things, the report highlighted the growing importance of ensuring that schools are providing meaningful, high-quality degrees and education. 

Nationally, the graduation rate for students attending a four-year institution in 2013 was 55 percent, while the default rate was 12 percent. However, the graduation rates and default rates varied by state and by the type of institution. Here in Georgia, at private, for-profit colleges, the graduation rate was a mere 16 percent, while the default rate was nearly one-quarter of the cohort analyzed. That means that of the individuals in Georgia that attended a private, for-profit college and who entered repayment on their federal student loans in the 2010 fiscal year, 23 percent had defaulted by 2013. In Georgia overall, the graduation rate was 45 percent for public, private, and for-profit colleges combined, and they had a cohort default rate of 13 percent. 

When an individual takes that step and commits to increasing their education, they should be properly prepared, as well as assured that they will be receiving a valuable education that will afford them quality, future employment opportunities. Individuals working in education and career advisement need to be aware of these issues and to properly educate and prepare individuals for their career paths and future educational endeavors. Individuals that are the first person in their family to attend college, especially, are often those that least understand the whole process of attending a postsecondary institution – loan applications, interest rates, employment opportunities for specific majors, future earning potentials, etc. 

Not all degrees are equal and not all colleges provide the same quality education. Looking at the educational attainment of a community alone does not show the whole picture. Individuals on the ground in the community must try to figure out who the people are that have some college, no degree and if there is a disconnect in the information, quality, or affordability of higher education in their region. Not only will this aid those individuals in improving their prosperity and wellbeing, it will also improve the wealth of the region by having a higher quality workforce that can support future economic opportunities.

Mapping State Workforce Trends

By Ranada Robinson, Research Manager

I love maps because they are an easy way to illustrate data points. Lately, I’ve been very interested in various data indicators we use at Market Street to evaluate workforce strengths and weaknesses. Here are a few state data maps using 2013 U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey data that reveal some interesting findings. 

Because workforce sustainability is an emerging issue in the United States because of the impending retirements of Baby Boomers, in many communities, we take a look at the ratio of young professionals (25-44) to experienced professionals and those nearing retirement (45-64) to determine if there are currently enough young professionals to eventually replace those who retire. In some instances, we also take a look at these dynamics by occupation and/or business sector. In the following map, the states most at risk of not having a sustainable workforce are shown in yellow: Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire. In these states, there are roughly only three young professionals for every four experienced professionals. The three states with the most sustainable workforces (highest levels of workers in the young professionals age range compared to those in experienced professionals) are Washington, D.C., Utah, and Texas. In D.C., the ratio is 1.62, meaning that there are nearly ten young professionals for every six experienced professional. 

Workforce Age Ratio, 2013 

In terms of migration, the population of communities is dependent on two factors: natural change (birth minus deaths) and net migration (in-migration minus out-migration). The demographics of residents moving in and out of states can significantly affect the workforce, particularly when net migration outpaces natural change. The next two maps illustrate the levels of educational attainment of residents moving into respective states. States (and communities) that can attract talent with higher educational attainment while also retaining educated talent are likely to be more competitive for knowledge-driven, higher-wage business sectors. The states with the largest percentages of in-migrants with bachelor’s degrees or higher are: Washington, D.C. (79.5 percent), Massachusetts (59.7 percent), New Jersey (55.5 percent), and New York (54 percent). The states with the lowest percentages of in-migrants with four-year college degrees are Mississippi (23.1 percent), West Virginia (23.2 percent), Arkansas (28.2 percent), and Idaho (28.4 percent). 

Percentage of In-Migrants with a Bachelor’s Degree or Higher, 2013 

The states that attract high levels of in-migrants without a high school diploma are primarily in the South. The states with the largest percentages of in-migrants who likely need additional training are Mississippi (16.5 percent), Oklahoma (15.3 percent), New Mexico, Arkansas, Delaware, and Georgia (all 14.7 percent). The states with the lowest percentages are Vermont (2.8 percent), Hawaii (3.5 percent), Montana (3.6 percent), and Washington, D.C. (3.8 percent). 

Percentage of In-Migrants with No High School Diploma, 2013 

I also took a look at adult educational attainment for all residents by gender. Interestingly, the bachelor’s degree-plus maps for women and men look very similar with the exception of just Vermont. 

Percentage of Women aged 25+ with a Bachelor’s Degree or Higher 

Percentage of Men aged 25+ with a Bachelor’s Degree or Higher 

There are actually 32 states where there are a larger percentage of adult women with a bachelor’s degree or higher than their male counterparts. In the following map, states where women have higher percentages of higher educational attainment are shaded yellow, and states where men have higher percentages of higher educational attainment are shaded blue. In Vermont, women lead in the percentage of attainment of bachelor’s-plus by 8.3 percentage points, and in Alaska, by 6.5 percentage points. In Utah, men lead by 4.6 percentage points, and in D.C., 2.8 percentage points. 

Percentage Point Difference of Bachelor’s Degree or Higher Attainment between Women and Men 

On the other end of the spectrum, the story is very different. In all states except Hawaii, women have lower percentages of not having a high school diploma than men. This is an important observation in understanding workforce and occupational dynamics and educational trends. Communities can match this set of indicators to occupational data that reveals male-heavy (or woman-heavy) occupations that may require certifications or experience rather than educational attainment. It can also be paired with school system dropout data to help steer students into trades that may help them overcome the odds that come with not having a high school diploma. 

Percentage of Women aged 25+ with no high school diploma, 2013 

Percentage of Men aged 25+ with no high school diploma, 2013 

As you can see, there are many publicly available data indicators that can be helpful in understanding workforce dynamics. Additional indicators include wage data, educational attainment by race and ethnicity data, and graduation rates by gender or race and ethnicity. Because talent is so important in today’s economic development environment, analyzing a community’s workforce strengths and weaknesses can be the key to gaining competitive advantage.