High Praise for Virginia, Connecticut, and Minnesota

Education Week (January 4, 2007; www.edweek.org) has developed a "Chances-for-Success Index" to predict an individual's opportunity to achieve a successful life in their state. The index combines information from 13 individual indicators that span an individual's life from cradle to grave. Indicators include, for example, family income, parent education, preschool enrollment, high school graduation, annual income, and steady employment. Based on the cumulative scores on these indicators, here are the states that rated highest and lowest:

Highest ranked states
1. Virginia
2. Connecticut
3. Minnesota
4. New Jersey
5. Maryland
5. Massachusetts
5. New Hampshire
8. Wisconsin
9. Nebraska
9. Vermont
11. Iowa
12. Illinois
12. Kansas
12. North Dakota

Lowest Ranked States
51. New Mexico
49. Louisiana
49. Arizona
48. Texas
45. Mississippi
45. Tennessee
45. Alabama
43. West Virginia
43. Nevada
41. South Carolina
41. Kentucky
40. Oklahoma