The 2014 edition of "State of the South" features analysis of state and regional data and calls on the region to develop and implement purposeful policies and systemic practices--an "infrastructure of opportunity"--to bolster the prospects for its 15- to 24-year-olds to achieve economic resilience as adults and a fulfilling…

The 1,000-student Allegheny Valley district in Pennsylvania boasts generations of alumni and a community so involved with the schools that high school graduation becomes an open celebration in downtown Springdale Borough. Yet the district hasn't asked for a tax increase in three years, and it is pushing out a message to older residents about…

The number of US residents who are deemed to be Limited English Proficient (LEP) has increased substantially in recent decades, consistent with the growth in the US foreign-born population. While many LEP individuals are still attracted to the historic immigrant-destination states of California, Texas, New York, New Jersey, Florida, and Illinois,…

Every two years in the United States, districts in each state elect representatives to the U.S. House of Representatives. The district boundaries are not permanent; rather, they are redrawn every ten years in a process known as redistricting. Mathematics is useful in understanding this important and often contentious process. Redistricting is a…

The labor force is the number of people ages 16 or older who are either working or looking for work. It does not include active-duty military personnel or the institutionalized population, such as prison inmates. Determining the size of the labor force is a way of determining how big the economy can get. The size of the labor force depends on two…

The traditional way of equating the scores on a new test form X to those on an old form Y is equipercentile equating for a population of examinees. Because the population is likely to change between the two administrations, a popular approach is to equate for a "synthetic population." The authors of the articles in this issue of the…

This report provides a portrait of educational attainment in the United States based on data collected in the 2009 American Community Survey (ACS) and the 2005-2009 ACS 5-year estimates. It also uses data from the Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) to the Current Population Survey (CPS) collected in 2009 and earlier, as well as monthly…

On February 4, the Center for Public Policy Priorities (CPPP) released the 18th annual Texas KIDS COUNT data book, "The State of Texas Children 2011." The annual data book and free data warehouse provide the latest look at more than 80 different measures of child well-being in Texas and every county in the state. This year, the opening…

The technique of distance sampling is widely used to monitor biological populations. This paper documents an in-class activity to introduce students to the concepts and the mechanics of distance sampling in a simple situation that is relevant to their own experiences. Preparation details are described. Variations and extensions to the activity are…

Census 2000 counted 281.4 million U.S. residents, of whom 12.5 percent were Hispanic. Mexicans represented 7.3 percent, Puerto Ricans 1.2 percent, Cubans 0.4 percent, and other Hispanics 3.6 percent of the population. Another 3.8 million Hispanics were counted in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The Hispanic population increased by 57.9 percent…

Fertility rates have fallen dramatically around the world. In some countries, there are no longer enough children being born to replace adult populations. The disappearance of children is a matter of concern matched only by fears that childhood is becoming too structured or not structured enough, too short or too long, or just simply too different…

This Kids Count census brief is the first in a series to offer policymakers concise glimpses of Kansas' children and families. The brief's introduction notes significant changes in the child population during the past decade: approximately one-half of Kansas' child population is concentrated in five counties; the state's child population grew by 8…

Discusses conventional indices for measuring the aging of populations. Proposes a new index for measuring the aging of populations using the proportions of all available age categories. Focuses on changes in the structure of a population. (RC)

The demographic context that will affect postsecondary education in Western Australia is examined, with attention to recent trends in population growth as well as population distribution and projections to the year 2021. The analysis is based on the 1981 Population and Housing Census and population projections of the Australian Bureau of…

The census is even more important today than it was 200 years ago. The census is taken to provide equal representation for everyone, and results provide figures for appointment and the distribution of federal funds. The enumeration of the population was included in the U.S. Constitution in Article I, Section 2. The constitutional order to…