Residents will gain the knowledge and life skills required to succeed in the global economy and society.

On the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) for third-graders, 58% of students in the Chicago region met or exceeded state standards in reading, compared to 61% statewide. The more than 40% that did not meet the standards have difficulty identifying and recalling important ideas in a reading passage.

Forty-two percent of eighth grade students in 1999 met the new ISAT standards in math, compared with 43% statewide. Students who master basic algebra in eighth grade are more likely to take rigorous math and science classes in high school, which is important for entering college and the workforce.

This indicator measures progress toward state educational standards, but broad averages are not a proxy for specific progress, quality of leadership or teaching in each school district. Although the 1999 ISAT results for students in the six-county region are on average comparable to the rest of the state, performance varies dramatically across school districts. Among third graders, about 69% in Evanston, 46% in Elgin, and 32% in Chicago’s public schools met or exceeded state standards in reading. Among eighth graders, about 22% in Waukegan, 19% in Chicago’s public schools, and 4% in Harvey’s only junior high school met or exceeded state standards in math.

More than 24,000 public high school students in the region leave school without graduating each year. The annual regional dropout rate was 7.3% in the 1998-99 school year, down from 8% in 1997-98. According to the University of Chicago’s Consortium for School Research, the annual rate for Chicago Public Schools was nearly twice that high, at 14% in 1998-99.

Failure to complete high school is a significant barrier to attaining a job with advancement potential. On average, high school dropouts earn less than high school graduates, are more likely to be unemployed and more likely to experience teen pregnancy and engage in crime.

In 1998-99, approximately 11,219 African American, 6,546 Latino, 5,933 white and 441 Asian-Pacific Islander students dropped out of the region’s public high schools.

Forty-five percent of the region’s 25- to 29-year-olds held at least an associate’s-level degree in 1998, compared to 37% nationally. This is an important measure because young adults with post-secondary degrees have access to higher paying jobs with advancement potential. An estimated 40% of jobs projected to be created through 2008 will require at least an associate’s degree.

Educational attainment levels vary greatly by ethnicity. Sixty-eight percent of Asian-Pacific Islander residents attained at least an associate’s degree. This compares with 58% of white, 24% of African-American and 7% of Latino residents in that age range.

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