Washington Parish is located on the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain and is the most recent addition to United Way of Southeast Louisiana’s service area, following the Washington Area United Way merger in 2009. Washington Parish is comprised of four cities and towns, including Bogalusa and Franklinton. The population of Washington Parish was 42,926 in 2000 and has experienced modest growth since then.
In the United States, homeownership is often assumed to be an important means of acquiring wealth. However, experts have increasingly pointed out that neighborhood and regional housing markets can experience downturns, during which homeowners can lose their accumulated equity.[i] Moreover, decades old policies and practices hamper minorities from benefitting from strong housing markets, which has contributed to weaker wealth accumulation for people of color who own homes.[ii] Still, homeownership can be an important means of achieving residential stability and has been shown to be related to improved psychological health and greater participation in social and political activities.[iii] Studies have revealed that discriminatory practices in the real estate and banking industries are still common and present an obstacle to homeownership for many people of color.[iv]
Calculations include Black, White, Hispanic, and Asian. Any exclusions are due to a high margin of error (MOE), but a full data set is available for download which includes all populations, as well as the calculated MOE.
Low birth weight is defined as less than 5.5 pounds. Infants born with low birth weights are more likely to experience developmental problems, are more likely to die in the first year of life, and are also more likely to develop diabetes, heart disease, or high blood pressure later in life. Studies have shown that improving the mother’s nutrition and access to prenatal care can help reduce the risk of low birth weight pregnancies.[i] However, studies have also shown that racial bias in how medical professionals interact with Black patients — much of it unconscious — results in poorer quality of care for Black patients.[ii] Moreover, research has determined that birth outcomes are influenced by factors occurring even before pregnancy. Chronic stress, associated with racial discrimination over one’s lifetime, can increase the risk of low birth weight pregnancies.[iii]
HealthCountyRankings.org was used for parish estimates, CDC Wonder Tool was used for Louisiana and United States estimates.
HealthCountyRankings.org was used for parish estimates, CDC Wonder Tool was used for Louisiana and United States estimates.
It has been widely reported that until third grade children learn to read; after third grade, they read to learn.[i] For that reason, reading skills in third grade are considered an important early warning indicator of academic performance. Reading skills in third grade are highly predictive of future academic performance.[ii] Third grade children, with limited reading abilities, will have a harder time keeping up with other students across multiple subjects — including math, science, and other languages.
Notes: The Louisiana Educational Assessment Program (LEAP) is a standardized test that assesses English Language Arts (ELA), among other subjects. For more information, visit: http://www.louisianabelieves.com/measuringresults/grades-3-8-assessments
Notes: The Louisiana Educational Assessment Program (LEAP) is a standardized test that assesses English Language Arts (ELA), among other subjects. For more information, visit: http://www.louisianabelieves.com/measuringresults/grades-3-8-assessments
Obtaining a high school diploma is an important milestone, marking a successful transition into adulthood. High school graduates tend to be healthier, earn higher incomes, vote more, and face fewer obstacles as they enter adulthood. High school graduation rates are also an important indicator of school performance for parents, policymakers, and concerned community members. According to research by the Alliance for Excellent Education, “Graduation rates must be a cornerstone of high school accountability and used in decision-making about the targeting of resources and interventions to low-performing schools.”[i] The Louisiana Department of Education includes high school cohort graduation rates in the calculation of high school performance scores as a means to hold schools accountable for graduating their students on time.[ii]
Notes: The City of Bogalusa is located within Washington Parish and reports their high school graduation rates separately from the Parish overall.
Calculations include Black, White, Hispanic, and Asian. Any exclusions are due to a high margin of error (MOE), but a full data set is available for download which includes all populations, as well as the calculated MOE.
Notes: The City of Bogalusa is located within Washington Parish and reports their high school graduation rates separately from the Parish overall.
