They are doing an inadequate job of preparing their young citizens for their own futures as well as the states' futures. These states include Nevada, Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama and others. In some cases the problem is in the K-12 system, in others it is in access to the higher education, and in many it is in both. Georgia's situation is particularly embarrassing because of the publicity it has sought for its HOPE Scholarship Program. HOPE may be changing enrollments in the South, but these data suggest that HOPE has done nothing to boost either high school graduation rates or college enrollment rates for Georgians.
States can acquire human capital educated elsewhere through migration.
But those who grew up in a state those from whom the states have most direct responsibility are less likely to leave according to Census Bureau. States that rise to the challenge of preparing youth for the workforce will prosper, while states that ignore this challenge will not.