With the U.S. Census Bureau's "Portrait of America" campaign concluded, results of the 2010 census are fueling marketing, fundraising, lobbying and promotional campaigns for public and private sector initiatives across the nation.
The face of America is changing.
Census bureau data indicate that the leaders and workforce of tomorrow are today's children from low-income, communities of color. This is as true for the Portland-Vancouver area as it is for the rest of the country.
Yet a just-released report of regional indicators – the product of a partnership between Portland State University's Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies, Metro and more than 100 organizations – reveals the bigger story behind the region's increasingly diverse population.
"The Path to Economic Prosperity: Equity and the Education Imperative," the first report of Greater Portland Pulse, says that the children upon whose shoulders the region's future economic prosperity rests come from families that are most likely to experience low levels of education and income.
The region's future leaders and workforce are already falling behind.
The 60-page report and companion website – www.portlandpulse.org – provide the hard data for what every educator, parent, businessperson, community leader and elected official already know: providing high-quality education for all children is critical to the region's economic future.
Barriers to success
The data tell the story: Inequities in access to a quality education become barriers to the economic, social and environmental resources essential for every leader, worker and citizen to succeed – health care, affordable housing and transportation options, quality K-12 education, safe communities, a healthy environment and opportunities for civic engagement.
“This is exciting work," said Rex Burkholder, Metro Council liaison for this project. "We've expanded our thinking on key issues such as health and equity through working with broad and diverse partnerships. What we find out about our communities through this project will inform and improve the critical decisions we make about future growth and transportation investments in the region.”
Measuring results
Teams of volunteers drawn from public and private sector agencies and institutions identified, collected and measured data over the last year for 72 indicators in nine areas to track progress across the region. The areas include economic opportunity, access and mobility, arts and culture, civic engagement, education, healthy people, healthy natural environment, quality housing and communities and safe people.
To address concerns about how traditional data sets, sources and methodologies often fail to adequately account for diverse populations and their issues, a 15-member equity panel was formed to provide guidance as the indicators were chosen and developed.
"Greater Portland Pulse is an important project and tool for anyone who wants to guide our region to a more prosperous and sustainable future," said PSU president Wim Wiewel, co-chair of the advisory team. "Looking at the data in great detail allows us to see and address the equity issues that emerge."
Inspiring action
By tracking the data over time and making the results accessible through their website, Greater Portland Pulse provides elected officials, community leaders and the public resources to engage in informed regional and community decisions, coordinated action and citizen involvement.
The report is the first of many point-in-time summaries of how the region progresses. Long term, the project's goal is nothing short of achieving better all-around results for the future of the region – economically, socially and environmentally – and the children who will lead the way.
Detailed data from the report is available in an interactive format at the Greater Portland Pulse website.
Greater Portland Pulse supports the region's six desired outcomes by providing data to inform decision-making that supports vibrant communities, economic prosperity, safe and reliable transportation systems, and leadership on climate change.