Race for Results/ Race to

EquityWisconsin Council on Children and

FamiliesKen Taylor & Erica Nelson

Dane Buy LocalJuly 22, 2014

Opportunity ResponsibilityCommunityThe Wisconsin Idea

Wisconsin Values

Tale of Two Cities

City A Unemployment = 5% Child poverty rate = 5% Median Income = $63,673 3rd Grade Not Proficient = 11% Suspended/Exp = 2% Not Graduating = 16% Juv Det = 7/1000 Foster Care = .7/1000 Adult Arrests = 36/1000

City B Unemployment = 25% Child poverty Rate = 56% Median Income = $20,664 3rd Grade Not Proficient = 48% Suspended/Exp = 21% Not Graduating = 50% Juv Det = 103/1000 Foster Care = 11/1000 Adult Arrests = 295/1000

Dane County is often considered one of the best places to live in America.

Dane County is resource rich and progressively minded.

Despite these positive attributes, Dane County also has some of the highest racial disparities in the United States.

Context

Break down stereotypes Equity gaps individual

characteristics Focus on systems and

institutional practices Not zero sum game Not “Other” people

Communications Challenges

Race and ethnicity in Wisconsin

Age White Black Hispanic Asian Nat Am

Under 5 years

70% 9% 12% 3% 1%

5 to 17 74% 9% 10% 3% 1%

18 to 64 84% 6% 6% 2% 1%

65+ 94% 3% 1% 1% 1%

Dane County’s total population = 488,073. African American population = 31, 300 (6.4%), African American child population = 8,804, (8.3% of the

county’s child population). African American children make up about 20% of Madison

public schools and 17% of public schools county-wide. Since 2000 the African American population of Dane County

grew by more than 50% (from 20,241 to 31,300), while the White population grew by 10%.

In 2010 African Americans were the county’s most populous community of color, followed closely by an even faster growing populations of Hispanics (28,925) and Asians (26,698).

Dane County Demographic Profile (2010)

We have organized our data into nine major categories:

Basic Demographics Economic Well-Being Family Formation Education Health Child Welfare Juvenile Justice Criminal Justice Mobility

Findings on Dane County’s Black/White Disparities

Unemployment Rate Median Household Income Poverty Child Poverty

Economic Well-Being

Unemployment Rate

Median Household Income

The American Community Survey (ACS) shows a Black child poverty estimate of greater than 56%, compared to 5% for White children (3 year average).

An African American child in Dane County is at least 11 times more likely to grow up in poverty than his/her White counterpart.

The child poverty rate for African Americans in Dane County was almost one and a half times higher than the nationwide child poverty rate for African Americans (39%) and was somewhat higher than that for African American kids across in Wisconsin (50%).

Child Poverty

3rd Graders Not Proficient in Reading 8th Graders Not Proficient in math Absences/ Truants Suspension/ Expulsion Students Not Graduating On Time Students taking the ACT/ Test Scores

Education

Third Graders Not Proficient In Reading (2012)

In 2011, school suspensions of African American students in Dane County numbered 3,198, compared to 1,130 suspensions of White students.

After accounting for the relative size of the African American and White share of total students enrolled, we find that suspensions were 15 times more likely to involve an African American student than a White student.

Rate of Suspensions (or Expulsions) for Incidents Unrelated to Weapons or Drugs

Students Failing to Graduate On Time

In the 2011-2012 school year, 30% of African American seniors in Dane County took the ACT, compared to 63% of White seniors in Dane County and 50% of African American seniors statewide.

Percent of Students Taking the ACT

In this category, we look at White and Black data on the following measures:

Children in Foster Care During the Past Year Juveniles Placed in County Secure Detention

Pending Disposition Juvenile’s Sent to the State’s Correctional

Facility (Lincoln Hills) Adult Arrests New Prison Placements

Child Welfare, Juvenile Justice and Adult Corrections

Juvenile Arrests

In 2012, Dane County African Americans were admitted to prison facilities at a rate 15 times greater than that for White adults.

While Dane County Black adults in 2012 made up only 4.8% of the total age 18 to 54 adult population, they constituted nearly 44% of all the new adult prison placements from the County.

New Adult Prison Placements

1. Wide gap between Black and White2. Poor well-being of Dane County

Blacks, compared to African Americans elsewhere

3. The racialization of disadvantage4. The impact of racialized

disadvantage

Four Key Take Aways About What The Data is Telling Us

1.A Labor Market Mismatch2.Neighborhood Isolation3.Capacity of Our Family and

Child Serving Systems

Key Local Factors that Contribute to Dane County’s Exceptional Disparity Rates

A Labor Market MismatchDane County has a mismatch between the County’s labor markets’ skill/readiness expectations and the skill sets, work experience, support networks, and credentials of many local job seekers of color. There are far too few routes to family supporting jobs in Dane County for less educated, less networked workers.

Key Local Factors that Contribute to Our Exceptional Disparity Rates

A more diverse workforce brings with it a better understanding of cultures and potential new markets around the world and a greater variety of perspectives, leading to more innovative products and services. Research has shown that business with a more diverse workforce have more customers, higher revenues and profits, greater market share, less absenteeism and turnover, and a higher level of commitment to their organization

The Business Case For Racial Equity

Closing the education achievement gap between African American and Hispanic students, and White students, would increase US GDP by 2-4% ($310-$525 billion). This translates to $6-$10 billion for Wisconsin.

McKinsey & Company

Disparities in health cost the US $60 billion in excess medical costs and $22 billion in lost productivity (2009). Economic loss due to premature deaths was valued at $250 billion.

Urban League

45% of all jobs in 2018 will require at least an associates degree, but among today’s workers on 27% of African Americans, 26% of US born Latinos, and 14% of Latino immigrants have achieved this level of education.

Policy Link

In the coming decades, it is todays younger generation who will drive economic growth, and whose purchasing power will determine the demand for goods and services. The ability of these children, who are increasingly of color, to succeed will shape our shared future.

Equity is the Superior Growth Model

Promote Employment, Financial Security and Economic InclusionWe need the region’s public and private employers, (supported by employment training, family service and child care providers), to create more pathways into family-supporting careers for a larger share of the under-employed or unemployed parents whose children are in or entering our county’s schools.

What You Can Do

We need to authentically engage the families and communities most affected by these disparities.

Our approach needs to be a two generation strategy- one that supports under-resourced parents while intensifying investments in at risk children, from cradle to career.

Our programs and services need to be woven together into a more integrated whole - one that is comprehensive and collaborative, not siloed.

Our major investments of money and time must be more effectively targeted, recognizing the greatest needs are heavily concentrated among low-income families of color.

Given the depth and breadth of problems, our responses have to be driven by urgency and sustained by long term commitment.

Principles and Values to Address the Racial Equity Challenge

1. Communicate and build relationships2. Gather and analyze data3. Support a two-generation approach4. Partner with local community

initiatives5. Stop the blame game6. Make the business case

Race to Equity ongoing work

Personal – InternalPersonal – ExternalProfessionalSystems AdvocacyPublic Voice

What can you do?

Dane County has many strengths and assets

The scale of the problem is manageable

Making progress is in ALL our interests

Local Factors That Can Help Us Address this Challenge

“Four years ago, I decided Dane County was the place I wanted to raise my children because it truly is a great place to live. As a single mom, I found a terrific job and have been pleased with the education my children have received, but I know that our experience isn’t the experience of all families. Our community is poised to respond to these concerns, because one of the best things about living here is the people. The people truly care; our neighbors want to make a difference; our community is at a tipping point to becoming the community it always thought it was.”

- Dane County Mother