I recently ran across this well researched and rather depressing study of where Texas ranks among the 50 states on a wide variety of topics.
Highlights from the report (if you can call these dismal numbers "highlights"):
- We are last in high school graduation rate
- We are 48th in SAT scores
- We have the highest rate of child population growth
- We have the highest rate of uninsured children
- We rank last in population with health insurance
- We rank in the bottom 20% on health care professionals per capita
- We are in the top 20% for heart disease, infectious disease, and diabetes
- We are 44th out of 50 for eligible voters who are registered and 47th for eligible voters who go to the polls
- Annual expenditures per pupil in Texas schools - $5,444
- Annual expenditure per prisioner in Texas prisons - $13,283
The findings of this report support noted Rice University Sociology Professor Dr. Stephen Klineberg's conclusion that we must devote appropriate resources to education if Texas is to be a leader in the 21st century.
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