Introduction

Essential Question:
What are the challenges to improving Rhode Islanders' educational attainment?

This story investigates the details of educational building blocks and their relationship to completion of diplomas, degrees, and certificates.

Rhode Island lags behind New England in educational attainment

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Nearly 15% of RI workers lack even high-school skills.

High-school diplomas, or equivalents, are the foundation for building further educational skills. Too many RI youth leave high school before finishing. The relatively high rate of GED* attainment indicates interest in educational advancement. But for established adults, who might already have jobs and/or children, obtaining a GED can be a far tougher route to an educational foundation than earning a conventional diploma.

Similarly, RI has higher rates than its neighbors of attempting, but not completing college, and fewer Rhode Islanders have bachelor's or advanced degrees. As noted in the first Adult Education Data Story, the lower levels of education could help explain the recent 9.9% increase in the out-of-state residents who work in RI jobs. Just catching up to the educational attainment of RI's neighbor states will be a substantial challenge.

* GED -- A General Educational Development certificate means the student has passed four tests -- in language arts, math, science, and social studies -- to demonstrate equivalent attainment to a high-school diploma.

Data source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2009-2013 5-Year Estimates.


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