Despite the many struggles that face Indian country – like those we discussed in our last state-tribal blog post – there is often good news to share, as well. For instance, while teen birthrates remain higher than average, they are coming down. As a policy analyst, I believe it is important to remind other data wonks out there – and those who see their work – to keep this in mind. In addition, remember that reporting data is not just sharing numbers. In this case, it is about American Indian youth in Montana and their access to opportunity in adulthood. Disparities are not okay and need to be included in our work, but let us not forget to also share the improvements.
MBPC is a nonprofit organization focused on providing credible and timely research and analysis on budget, tax, and economic issues that impact low- and moderate-income Montana families.