2008-06-19

The good news is in 2001, the better educated a person was, the more likely that person was to report being in "excellent" or "very good" health. The bad news is only 39 percent of those who did not complete high school reported good health.

The good news is from 1992 through 2004, the rate of thefts and violent crimes against students at school declined 62 percent. The bad news is 78 percent of public schools still report one or more violent incidents, and 17 percent report one or more serious violent incidents.

The good news is the rate of 16–24-year-olds with no high school diploma and not currently attending school declined from 15 percent in 1972 to 9 percent in 2006. The bad news is while that rate is only 6 percent for whites, it is 11 percent for blacks and 22 percent for Hispanics.

The good news is 63 percent of 10th grade students report that teachers praise their efforts, and 90 percent report making friends from other racial and ethnic groups. The bad news is while 56 percent of elementary and middle school students from non-poor families participate in after-school activities, only 20 percent of students from poor families participate.