Tuesday, August 6, 2019

FINDINGS OF THE BROOKINGS STUDY
AND OUR IDAHO REALITY

The Brookings Institution, a nationally renowned research entity, published an interesting study in June. The researchers took a look at four cities, Nashville, Tennessee, South Bend, Indiana, St. Louis, Missouri, and Boise. They analyzed a number of factors contributing to economic competitiveness. We just want to focus on a couple of the findings in the report, and look at the data surrounding those findings.

While Brookings researchers looked at Boise's possibilities and challenges, they used statewide data to make their conclusions. They made this statement about the situation, referring to Boise's strong tech sector and referencing a study done by the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce:

"By 2020, 65 percent of all jobs will require more than a high school diploma. This statistic for the average place belies the requirements of hightech clusters. Cities with comparative advantages in tech will require closer to 80 percent of their workers to have some postsecondary training."

We wanted to break down the data and see how they looked when we did the statewide analysis by high school. For that analysis, we relied on the Office of the State Board of Education, which provided us data about the percentage of kids who had completed "some college" by a certain date.

Specifically, the SBOE provided us information about the percentage of students from the class of 2014 who had completed "some college" three years after graduation from high school. Then we were able to estimate the additional percentage who would complete some college after six years, using data from previous classes. Typically, six to seven percent additional students attend "some college" between year four and year six after high school graduation.

Here are some summary slides portraying what we found in the data:




So the statewide percentage of students with some college, even considering the typical additional percentage from year 4 to year 6 is well below what is described in the Brookings study as necessary to support a tech environment, at around 70%.

But this the statewide analysis. Is the picture different when we look at Boise-area high schools?






There are a couple of conclusions we can draw about the above data:

1) We have suspected that "Go On" rates are related to poverty. Indeed, that's the case with Boise-area schools (as it is across the state). 

2) The overall total for Boise-area schools for the class of 2014 likely will exceed 80% after six years have passed post-high school, meeting the criteria stated by Brookings . Though the statewide totals were far lower,  the free/reduced percentages were higher for the state, as well.

There were large high schools outside the Boise area that had high "Go On" percentages for the class of 2014,  as well: Sandpoint (73%), Coeur d'Alene (72%) and Hillcrest of Idaho Falls (72%) were among them. None, however, were close to Boise, Timberline, Eagle, or Mountain View with the exceptions of Twin Falls (76%) , Kimberly (a suburban community near Twin Falls) (78%), and Moscow (78%), all of which have relatively low percentages of free/reduced lunch.

There are statewide high schools that had far lower percentages, as well: Vallivue (58%), Columbia (55%), Caldwell (61%), Pocatello (52%), Mt. Home (59%), Minico (59%), Bonners Ferry (50%) and Snake River (51%) were among them. No surprise - All have relatively high percentages of free/reduced lunch.

Here's a statewide picture of large high schools from the class of 2014:




Interestingly, one of the data points that stands out here is Parma, which had a "Go On" percentage in the mid-70's with 54% free/reduced lunch, well above the state average.

As we noted in 2014, Parma has an ongoing scholarship program sponsored by a district benefactor which contributes to its high "Go On" rate:
"When asked about Parma's high college-going rates, Superintendent Jim Norton wrote:
"The Bruce Mitchell scholarships play a large role in why Parma grads go on. There is a Foundation Board that manages and oversees the program. Nothing is managed by the District other than coordinating meetings and interviews."
Bruce Mitchell was a Parma grad who worked for Idaho Power as an Electrical Engineer. He initiated the scholarship in 1991, when one award was given (the only one Mitchell saw awarded). As of 2013, 465 Parma students have received scholarships (about 70 students graduate from PHS each year), and over $3 million has been awarded in total. 100 Parma grads are currently being supported by scholarships, which begin in freshman year with $2000, and grow by $500 a year.
"The entire student body and the community takes part in an assembly to honor the Bruce Mitchell Scholarship winners. It is a big deal to students to be recognized at this assembly. A Community Award winner is also recognized."
The truth of the matter is that   programs like AVID, which we wrote about in June, have a great success rate, but part of that success is due to the financial support of generous folks in the community who help our AVID grads succeed with their financial support. As an example, Bev and George Harad have been important benefactors who fund scholarships every year for our AVID kids. 

We agree with many of the conclusions in the Brookings study, especially including the support voiced for statewide early childhood programs. However, as shown above, post-secondary affordability remains an important issue for Idaho students, one that can only be ameliorated by support for college attendance. This is where the real discussion must take place, or we will continue to have just a few schools that meet the criteria set by the Brookings research. How can we, as a state, support our kids in going on?