Cycling Across Iowa for Strong American Schools

It's going to be light blogging this week as I'm taking some time off to spend with the grandkids. However, even though I'm on vacation, the campaign has a busy week ahead. 

Strong American Schools is sponsoring a team of bike riders who will be cycling across Iowa to raise awareness for the need for K-12 education reform. The team of community activists will be riding in the Des Moines Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) and will be appearing in Ames, Iowa tomorrow.

The cyclists on the team are posting their thoughts on our Voices from the Campaign blog; you should check it out.

Iowa is one of the states that we're focused on for this campaign season and I wanted to share with you some education facts about the state after the jump:

Student Performance:                 
According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (2007):

% 4th graders proficient in reading: 36
% 4th graders proficient in math: 43

% 8th graders proficient in reading:    35
% 8th graders proficient in math:    35

According to the state’s own assessments (2007):

% 4th graders proficient in reading: 80
% 4th graders proficient in math: 81

% 8th graders proficient in reading: 73
% 8th graders proficient in math: 75

(Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/; U.S. Dept. of Education: http://www.ed.gov/nclb/accountability/results/progress/index.html)

High School and Beyond:

Nearly 20 percent of Iowa’s 9th graders do not graduate from high school with their peers.

If Iowa’s high schools graduated all students ready for college, the state would save almost $53.1 million a year in community college remediation costs and lost earnings.

By 2012 Iowa will have between 150,000 and 200,000 more jobs than workers; and at least half of these occupations will require postsecondary education or training.

But, only 57 percent of Iowa students who enroll in 4-year colleges after high school manage to earn a bachelor's degree within six years.

(Sources: Education Week, www.edweek.org/go/dc08; Alliance for Excellent Education, www.all4ed.org; Institute for Tomorrow’s Workforce, http://www.tomorrowsworkforce.org/fact-sheet.html; The NCHEMS Information Center, www.higheredinfo.org)

If you're in Ames stop by our booth and cheer our racers on.  Find out more information about the campaign's activities in Iowa on our site.