Communities, states, and countries all over the world are using a type of reporting called "state of the environment" to provide a summary of the status and trends of key natural resources across and within various regions. Specifically, the purpose of a state of the environment report is to describe and monitor the health of the environment in terms of key indicators.

This follow-up to the 2001 landmark report, "Five Shoes Waiting to Drop on Arizona's Future," focuses on the projected future of the state if Arizona fails to address its Latino educational attainment gap. The publication is more of an economic impact statement than an education report, with indicators pointing out consequences and contributions, depending on action or inaction in closing the gap of Arizona's future workforce.