Context
Often described as the foundation for a region’s quality of life and economic competitiveness, Education is a critical area for performance assessment in Buffalo Niagara. Indeed, a successful educational system improves the social and economic outlook for future generations, strengthens neighborhoods, and attracts businesses and residents while keeping existing ones here.
What Education Measures
The State of the Region initially adopted the Eight National Goals for Education as a framework for developing its own indicators. These national goals address student readiness, completion rates, and achievement in certain areas; teacher development; parental involvement; school safety; and adult literacy. The State of the Region added several additional areas of regional interest to these goals.
The Road Ahead
Education data are often readily available in that numerous federal, state and local agencies gather and report data on education. Often complicating data collection, however, is the fact that the approximately 100 school districts in the eight counties of Western New York do not conform to town, county or BOCES (Board of Cooperative Educational Services) borders. Moreover, education data disaggregated by race/ethnicity and income are often difficult to locate.
Education Indicators - (Latest Indicator Updates)
4.1 Foundations for School — 
(Dec 2002 )
Enrollment rates of pre-K and nursery school programs and proportion of children under age five in poverty in Western New York and New York State
4.2 Student Teacher Diversity — (Feb 2005 )
Ratio for minority presence in a school district’s teaching staff and student body (equal to district’s percentage of minority students divided by its percentage of minority faculty)
4.3 Student Performance - Elementary — (Apr 2006 )
Western New York elementary students’ performance on New York State’s Pupil Evaluation Performance exams in mathematics and English language arts
4.4 Student Performance - Middle — (Apr 2006 )
Western New York middle grade students’ performance on the New York State Pupil Evaluation Performance exams in mathematics and English language arts
4.5 Student Performance - High School — (Apr 2006 )
Western New York high school students’ performance on New York State Regents English and mathematics exams
4.6 Student Internet Connections — (Nov 1999 )
Number of students per computer with Internet access in Western New York (excludes the Buffalo Public Schools and Genesee and Orleans counties). [Note: Indicator merged with 5.4 Library Internet Connections in 2000 to create 5.4 Public Internet Connections.]
4.7 Dropout Rates — (Feb 2005 )
Dropout rates per school district and number of G.E.D. candidates in Western New York
4.8 Educational Attainment — (Dec 2002 )
Education levels for persons age 25 or older in Western New York and New York State (from less than high school to graduate and professional degrees)
4.9 Colleges and Universities — (Feb 2005 )
Outcomes of two-year college graduates; percent of first-year students returning to Western New York’s four-year colleges; minority population at Western New York colleges; proportion of undergraduates over age 25 in Western New York colleges
4.10 Adult Literacy — (Nov 2000 )
Literacy rates in Western New York, as defined by the National Literacy Act of 1991 and the U.S. Department of Education; enrollment in literacy programs in Western New York
4.11 Classroom Diversity — (Dec 2002 )
Racial and economic diversity in elementary school classrooms of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls and Jamestown Metropolitan Areas, determined by percentage of a racial or ethnic group’s exposure to itself as well as other groups in elementary schools; city versus suburban student exposure to poverty in Western New York
Progress Over Time