The group ROC the Future says there are hopeful signs in its annual ranking of how Rochester’s children are coming along. The non-profit group has released its fourth-annual “State of Our Children” report. It finds improvement in four out of ten key indicators of academic achievement, five are holding steady and only one is getting worse.
Third grade reading ability for city students is up by 1.6 percent, there are fewer truant students and there’s been a 17 percent increase in federal student aid filings from city kids who are bound for college.
On the down side, more than 55 percent of Rochester children are chronically missing from Pre-K education programs. Sixty-five percent of city youth don’t have access to after school opportunities. Both have been shown to be important to academic success.
Community Foundation CEO Jennifer Leonard says we’re at a turning point in improving Rochester’s education outcomes. She says progress isn’t fast enough but the entire community working together is beginning to show results.