In every region of America, white and Asian children are far better positioned for success than black, Latino and American Indian children, according to a new report appealing for urgent action to bridge this racial gap, according to a news report being released Tuesday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which for decades has worked to improve child well-being in the United States, according to BostonHerald.com.
The foundation also produces annual "Kids Count" reports, with reams of state-specific data, but these generally have not focused on race, BostonHerald.com reported. The new report tackles the topic head-on, with charts and ratings that convey dramatic racial discrepancies.
At the core of the report is a newly devised index based on 12 indicators measuring a child's success from birth to adulthood, according to BostonHerald.com. The indicators include reading and math proficiency, high school graduation data, teen birthrates, employment prospects, family income and education levels, and neighborhood poverty levels.
Using a single composite score with a scale of one to 1,000, Asian children have the highest index score at 776, followed by white children at 704, BostonHerald.com reported.
"Scores for Latino (404), American-Indian (387) and African-American (345) children are distressingly lower, and this pattern holds true in nearly every state," said the report.
The report was based on data from 2012, including census figures tallying the number of U.S. children under 18 at 39 million whites, 17.6 million Latinos, 10.2 million blacks, 3.4 million of Asian descent, and 640,000 American Indians, as well as about 2.8 million children of two or more races, BostonHerald.com reported.
The report described the challenges facing African-American children as "a national crisis," according to BostonHerald.com.
Among Latinos, children of Mexican and Central American descent faced the biggest barriers to success; those of Cuban and South American descent fared better in the index, BostonHerald.com reported.
Among its recommendations, the report urged concerted efforts to collect and analyze race-specific data on child well-being that could be used to develop programs capable of bridging the racial gap, according to BostonHerald.com.
The report said special emphasis should be placed on expanding job opportunities as children in the disadvantaged groups enter adulthood, BostonHerald.com.
"Regardless of our own racial background or socio-economic position, we are inextricably interconnected as a society," the report concluded. "We must view all children in America as our own - and as key contributors to our nation's future."
