Utah ranks 20th on Chance-for-Success index

Where you're born says a lot about your future, a national education study released Wednesday shows, and Utah natives are expected to have a better shot than those in 30 other states and Washington, D.C.

That's according to "Quality Counts 2007: From Cradle to Career, Connecting American Education From Birth to Adulthood," produced by the national magazine Education Week.

The analysis is based on the "Chance-for-Success Index," developed for the magazine by the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center. It includes child health insurance, state preschool offerings, parents' income and educational attainment, the state's scores on national tests and links between the public schools' and colleges' standards and other factors that influence a person's well-being and educational and job success.

Despite below-average marks for higher education preparation and retention, Utah ranks 20th best — tied with Rhode Island — and scores in the second of five tiers on the Chance-for-Success Index.

"When states make smart choices about how they educate our children — from pre-K through college — they are making smart investments in the economic future of their communities," Mary Jo Waits, center director for the Pew Center on the States, which supported the report's production, said in a prepared statement. "This year's Quality Counts report shines the spotlight on those states that have given their children the greatest chance for success and those states that have more to do in preparing their young people for the challenges they will face as adults."

This is the first year since 1997 that Quality Counts didn't grade states on school climate and funding and teacher quality. Utah's marks were never good, mainly because of big classes and the lowest per-student funding in the nation.

"I like it a lot better without the grades. I think it makes more sense, and ... overall, it looks good," said Mark Peterson, spokesman for the State Office of Education. "It's a good second check on school performance and on standards and accountability ... the policy end of it is certainly worth looking at."

The report is online at www.edweek.org/ew/toc/2007/01/04/index.html.

The analysis shows Virginia-born children are the best off in the country, as they're most likely to have educated parents making good money, graduate from high school and pursue college. Other high-ranking states include Connecticut, Minnesota and New Jersey. The lowest ranking states are Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, Arizona, Louisiana and New Mexico.