Kentucky's Educational Need

Over at the Prichard Blog Susan Weston has an interesting post on Kentucky's educational challenges based on the Educational Needs Index.

Since 2005, the Census Bureau has provided researchers a variety of data at the sub-state level for areas called Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs).

The Educational Needs Index model uses educational, economic and population factors to evaluate the educational needs and demands of the 2,071 Public Use Microdata Areas across the nation. It combines thirteen variables that measure educational attainment levels, economic and employment strength, and population growth and diversity.

Educational Factor – Indicators assess the educational capacity of a region’s adult population. Indicators measure the percent of the population with a high school degree, associate’s degree, and bachelor’s degree, and a measure of the educational attainment gap between younger and older members of the workforce.

Economic Factor - Indicators in this category assess the degree of economic challenges facing counties. Indicators measure the percent of population in poverty, unemployment rates, the existing earnings capacity of residents, and dependence upon manufacturing and extraction jobs.

Population Factor – Indicators assess the present population growth issues facing the county and potential need for increased emphasis on human capital development to address changing demographics. Indicators measure recent and project population growth, population aged 19 and younger as a percent of the total population,
population aged 20-44, and the relative size of an area’s at-risk minority population (African-Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans).

The Educational Needs Index places an emphasis on the transition between K-12 policy concerns and postsecondary opportunities. The data assists policymakers at state, regional, and local levels as they work to reach informed decisions on issues of adult education and postsecondary education access and attainment.

Kentucky's Educational Factors State Map looks like this:

In green, three areas in central and eastern Jefferson and [suburban] Fayette counties are in the top quarter nationwide.

In yellow, five areas (central Lexington, south-central Jefferson and adjacent counties, and the areas that include Owensboro and Bowling Green) are in the second strongest quarter.

In orange, ten areas are in the next-to-bottom quarter: far western Kentucky, areas that include Elizabethtown and Ashland, much of the central Bluegrass, and our northern Kentucky counties are in the next weakest quarter.

In red, twelve areas rank in the bottom quarter nationally, including most of our Appalachian counties, some others reaching well to the west, and two portions of Jefferson County.