California now ranks 41st for children’s well-being

California falls to 41st among states in measuring the well-being of children in the latest rankings by the philanthropic Annie E. Casey Foundation. The Chronicle’s Neal J. Riley explains the steep drop as coming after criteria were expanded to include things such as math and reading proficiency and on-time graduation rates.
From the Chronicle:

Past studies put more emphasis on safety and health, an area where California does fairly well. But this year's report added new criteria, including math and reading proficiency, on-time graduation rates, the percentage of children in families with high housing costs and the percentage of children whose head of household lacks a high school diploma, all weak spots for the state based on data from 2009-11.

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