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Education Reports
Educational research gives educators essential knowledge to use in improving
instruction and student learning. When you click on the title of the report
on the below, you will find a summary of the research as well as information on where to obtain the research.
Changes in Instructional Hours in Four Subjects by Public School Teachers of Grades 1 Through 4 |
Report: Changes in Instructional Hours in Four Subjects by Public School Teachers of Grades 1 Through 4
Author(s): Beth A. Morton, Education Statistical Services Institute--American Institutes for Research, and Ben Dalton, formerly of the Education Statistical Services Institute--Americian Institutes for Research.
Date: 2007
DOE Institute for Education Sciences National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
The NCES has recently released, "Changes in Instructional Hours in Four Subjects by Public School Teachers of Grades 1 Through 4." This publication uses data from five administrations of the Schools and Staffing Survey to examine the distribution of weekly instructional hours by regular, full-time first- through fourth-grade teachers of self-contained classrooms in four subjects: English/reading/language arts, arithmetic/mathematics, social studies/history, and science. Results show that combined teacher instructional time in the four subjects has increased between 1987-88 and 2003-04. However, examining each subject shows that this increase is largely due to an overall increase in the amount of instruction in English and mathematics. In the two most recent administrations, 1999-2000 and 2003-04, weekly teacher instructional hours in English increased while instructional time in mathematics, social studies, and science decreased. Despite the fluctuations in hours of instruction, total instructional time in the four subjects as a percentage of the student school week did not change significantly between 1987-88 and 2003-04, remaining at about 67 percent of the school week in each year.
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Condition of Education 2000–2006 |
Report: Condition of Education 2009
Author(s): National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
Date: 2009
Enrollment in America's elementary and secondary schools continues to rise to all-time highs, and younger learners continue to show gains in educational achievement over time. The overall achievement levels of secondary school students have not risen over time, but there are some increases in the percentages of students entering college after high school and earning a postsecondary credential, according to "The Condition of Education 2009" report released by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). "The Condition of Education" is a congressionally mandated report that provides an annual portrait of education in the United States. The 46 indicators included in this year's report cover all aspects of education, from early childhood through postsecondary education and from student achievement to school environment and resources. Among the report's other findings:
- Public elementary and secondary enrollment is projected to increase to 54 million in 2018. Over the period of 2006 to 2018, the South is projected to experience the largest increase (18 percent) in the number of students enrolled.
- Between 1972 and 2007, the percentage of public school students who were White decreased from 78 to 56 percent. This decrease largely reflects the growth in the number of students who were Hispanic, particularly in the West.
- The average reading and mathematics scores on the long-term trend National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) were higher in 2008 than in the early 1970s for 9- and 13-year-olds; scores for 17-year-olds were not measurably different over the same period.
- In 2005-06, about three-quarters of the 2002-03 freshman class graduated from high school with a regular diploma.
- The rate of college enrollment immediately after high school completion increased from 49 percent in 1972 to 67 percent by 1997, but has since fluctuated between 62 and 69 percent.
- About 58 percent of first-time students seeking a bachelor's degree or its equivalent and attending a 4-year institution full time in 2000-01 completed a bachelor's degree or its equivalent at that institution within 6 years.
- Women accounted for 57 percent of the bachelor's degrees and 62 percent of all associate's degrees awarded in the 2006-07 academic year.
NCES is the statistical center of the Institute of Education Sciences in the U.S. Department of Education. The full text of "The Condition of Education 2009" (in HTML format), along with related data tables and indicators from previous years, can be viewed online.
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Condition of Education 2009 |
Report: The Condition of Education 2000–2006
Date: November 2006
Institute of Education Sciences; U.S. Department of Education
Each year, the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education collects reams of data and statistically paints a portrait of where U.S. education stands.
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Report: U.S. Dept. of Education "Dashboards"
Author(s): U.S. Department of Education
Date: 2008
Using the large amount of data collected as the result of No Child Left Behind, the U.S. Department of Education has released two-page "dashboards," which provide a comprehensive overview of a state’s education system. Each dashboard, one for the nation and every state, includes statistics on National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores, graduation rates, schools making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), highly qualified teachers, high school graduation rates, parents taking advantage of choice and supplemental educational services, and more.
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Digest of Education Statistics, 2006 |
Report: Digest of
Education Statistics, 2006
Authors: Thomas D. Snyder
Date: August 2007
National Center for Education Statistics
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has released the Digest
of Education Statistics, 2006. The statistical highlights are excerpts from the Digest of Education of Statistics, 2006. The statistical highlights provide a quantitative description of the current American education scene. It includes information on the number of schools and colleges, teachers, enrollments, and graduates, in addition to educational outcomes, finances, and federal funds for education. Pages 28-29 sum up some of the highlights regarding math and science performance.
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Do Small Classes Reduce the Achievement Gap between Low and High Achievers? Evidence from Project STAR |
Report: Do Small Classes Reduce the Achievement Gap between Low and High Achievers? Evidence from Project STAR
Authors: Spyros Konstantopoulos
Date: 2008
The Elementary School Journal, Volume 108, Number 4
Small classes in early grades improve test scores in later grades for students of all achievement levels, but low achievers get an extra boost. That's the finding of a study on the long-term effects of class size in the November issue of the American Journal of Education. The study suggests that reducing class size in early grades provides a dual benefit: It raises achievement for all students through middle school, while also closing the persistently large gap between high- and low-achievers, say authors Spyros Konstantopoulos from Michigan State University and Vicki Chung from Northwestern University. According to the study, small classes -- 13 to 17 students -- are most effective when they are consistent from kindergarten through third grade. Students in consistently small early classes had substantially higher test scores in grades four through eight than students who had been in larger classes. Students at all achievement levels benefited, but low achievers showed stronger benefits in reading and science. Exposure to a small class in third grade alone also had some long-term benefits, the study found. But those benefits were smaller, and about equal for high and low achievers.
"One year of exposure in small classes is not enough (to influence the achievement gap)," Konstantopoulos said. "It appears that class size reduction is most effective for all students and low achievers in particular, if it is implemented early in elementary grades and for multiple years." The study used data from Project STAR, a major longitudinal study of class size and its effects on more than 11,000 students. Previous research using the Project STAR data has found that small classes in early grades have positive long-term effects on average student achievement. But whether small classes could help close the achievement gap in later grades had remained an open question. Since Project STAR provides no qualitative data on teacher practices, it's hard to say exactly why small classes benefit low achievers, the authors say. "One hypothesis is that teachers in small classes are more likely to identify low achievers and hence are more likely to provide instruction designed to benefit these students," Konstantopoulos said. "Alternatively, in small classes there is a higher likelihood for low achievers to interact with teachers and be more engaged in learning."
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Mapping 2005 State Proficiency Standards Onto the NAEP Scales |
Report: Mapping 2005 State Proficiency Standards Onto the NAEP Scales
Author(s): National Center for Education Statistics
Date: 2007
DOE Institute for Education Sciences National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
The NCES has released a new research report, Mapping 2005 State Proficiency Standards Onto the NAEP Scales. The new report uses NAEP as a common yardstick for comparisons among the proficiency standards set by each state for fourth- and eighth-grade reading and mathematics, and for comparisons between these state standards and the national performance benchmarks. Among the key findings:
- States vary widely in the NAEP-equivalents of their proficiency standards. There is up to an 81-point difference in proficiency standards between the states, about twice the range seen in overall student performance on NAEP.
- Most state proficiency standards fall within the NAEP Basic range-except in 4th-grade reading, where most fall below Basic.
- A state's proficiency standard is not necessarily tied to student performance on NAEP. For example, a state may have a less rigorous AYP standard, but consistently score high on NAEP.
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Public School Graduates and Dropouts From the Common Core of Data: School Year 2006-07 |
Report: Public School Graduates and Dropouts From the Common Core of Data: School Year 2006-07"
Date: October 21, 2009
DOE Institute for Education Sciences National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Public School Graduates and Dropouts From the Common Core of Data: School Year 2006-07 is a report from the National Center for Education Statistics that presents the number of high school graduates, the Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate (AFGR), and dropout data for grades 9 through 12 for public schools in school year 2006-07. Among the findings:
- Across the United States, a total of 2,892,351 public school students received a high school diploma in 2006-07, resulting in an averaged freshman graduation rate (AFGR) of 73.9 percent. This rate ranged from 52.0 percent in Nevada to 88.6 percent in Vermont.
- Across all reporting states, the AFGR was highest for Asian/Pacific Islander students (91.4 percent). The rates for other groups of students were 80.3 percent for White, non-Hispanic students, 62.3 percent for Hispanic students, 61.3 percent for American Indian/Alaska Native students, and 60.3 percent for Black, non-Hispanic students.
- A comparison of data from 2006-07 with data from the prior school year, 2005-06, shows a percentage point or greater increase in the AFGR for 18 states. The AFGR decreased by a percentage point or more for seven states during that same time period.
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Projections of Education Statistics to 2016 |
Report: Projections
of Education Statistics to 2016
Authors: Hussar, William J., Bailey, Tabitha M.
Date: September 2007
National Center for Education Statistics
A new publication from the National Center for Education Statistics provides projections for key education statistics. "Projections of Education Statistics to 2016" includes statistics on enrollment, graduates, teachers; and expenditures in elementary and secondary schools and enrollment, earned degrees conferred, and current-fund expenditures of degree-granting institutions. For the nation, the tables, figures, and text contain data on enrollment, teachers, graduates, and expenditures for the past 14 years and projections to the year 2016. For the 50 states and the District of Columbia, the tables, figures, and text contain data on projections of public elementary and secondary enrollment and public high school graduates to the year 2016. In addition, the report includes a methodology section describing models and assumptions used to develop national and state-level projections.
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Report and Recommendations for Education Policy Leaders |
Report: Report and Recommendations for Education Policy Leaders
Author(s): Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO)
Date: November 20, 2008
On November 20, the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the Pearson Foundation released the first in a series of joint annual reports designed to inform success among educators worldwide. The "Report and Recommendations for Education Policy Leaders" identified key conclusions of the first CCSSO/Pearson International Conference on Science and Mathematics Education, held April 28 through May 1 in Singapore. This conference, created and presented by CCSSO and the Pearson Foundation, convened delegates from 13 countries and six continents to explore firsthand the educational and cultural drivers that consistently help Singapore students to score at the top of international surveys such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).
The report cites specifically Singapore's country-wide investment in teachers; the development of their administrative leadership; and the educational system's adoption of innovative core curriculum designed to foster students' creativity and independent thinking. Small working teams from countries including Brazil, Canada, England, Italy, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, South Africa, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States also shared key educational, assessment, and professional development practices that ensure student success in mathematics and science education in their respective countries. Report and Recommendations for Education Policy Leaders is the first in a series of annual reports from CCSSO and The Pearson Foundation that will present shared conclusions of CCSSO members from around the world. Triangle Coalition member, Pearson Education, is the global leader in educational publishing, providing scientifically research-based print and digital programs to help students learn at their own pace, in their own way. More information is available at www.pearsoned.com.
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Superintendents on Student Achievement |
Report: Superintendents
on Student Achievement
Authors:J. Timothy Waters, Ed.D. & Robert J. Marzano, Ph.D.
Date: September 2006
Results from an extensive analysis conducted the Mid-continent Research for
Education and Learning (McREL) of research on the effect of superintendents
on student achievement concludes that effective district leaders can have
a significant, positive influence on student achievement. McREL, is a Denver-based
education research organization that has conducted several large examinations
of research examining the impact of schools, leaders, and teachers on student
achievement. The latest study, titled School District Leadership that Works:
The Effect of Superintendent Leadership on Student Achievement identified
27 research reports conducted since 1970 that examined -- using quantitative,
rigorous methods -- the influence of school district leaders on student performance.
Altogether, these studies involved 2,714 districts and the achievement scores
of 3.4 million students. Using a sophisticated research technique called a
meta-analysis, McREL combined data from separate studies into a single sample,
creating what McREL believes to be the largest-ever quantitative examination
of research on superintendents. The study produced four major findings.
- Finding 1: District-level leadership matters
- Finding 2: Effective superintendents focus their efforts on creating goal-oriented
districts.
- Finding 3: Superintendent tenure is positively correlated with student
achievement.
- Finding 4: An unexpected and perplexing finding -- effective superintendents
appear to provide school leaders with "defined autonomy."
Researchers concluded from this finding that effective superintendents provide
principals with "defined autonomy." That is, they set clear, non-negotiable
goals for learning and instruction, yet provide school leadership teams with
the responsibility and authority for determining how to meet those goals.
More details are on the web
site.
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Trends in the Use of School Choice: 1993 to 2003 |
Report: Trends in the Use of School Choice: 1993 to 2003
Authors: Tice, P., Chapman, C., Princiotta, D., and Bielick, S.
Date: November 2006
National Center for Education Statistics
A new report from the National Center for Education Statistics reviews
trends in school choice over a decade. "Trends in the Use of School Choice:
1993 to 2003
from the National Household Surveys Program (NHES) to present trends that
focus on the use of and users of public schools (assigned and chosen),
private schools (church- and non church-related), and homeschoolers
between 1993 and 2003. The percentage of students enrolled in their
assigned public school decreased from 80 percent to 74 percent between
1993 and 2003, while this decrease was nearly offset by an
increase in chosen public school enrollment from 11 to 15 percent between
1993 and 2003. During this same time period, enrollment in
church-related private schools remained stable at 8 percent and enrollment
in non church-related private schools increased from 1.6 to 2.4 percent.
This report also presents data on parental perceptions of public school
choice availability and associations between the public and private school
types children were enrolled in and parental satisfaction with and
involvement in the schools. About one-half of all students have parents
who reported that public school choice was available in their community,
with one-quarter of students attending assigned public schools having
parents who considered enrolling them in a school other than the one they
were currently attending, while 17 percent of all students and 27 percent
of Black students attended a school other than their parent's first-choice
school. Generally, there were no parental involvement differences detected
between students enrolled in assigned and chosen public schools. Parents
of students in private schools reported more direct involvement in their
children's schools than parents of students enrolled in other types of
schools.
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U.S.
Chamber of Commerce Report Card on Education |
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Report: U.S.
Chamber of Commerce Report Card on Education
Authors: Brown, Cynthia G.; Rocha, Elena; Hess, Frederick M.; Boser,
Ulrich; Thomassie, Juan; Wildavsky, Ben
Date: 2007
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, their recent bipartisan report
on state educational effectiveness shows that America's K-12 schools are failing
their students and putting America's future competitiveness at risk. "We
are not making the grade when it comes to preparing students for their future,"
said Tom Donohue, Chamber president and CEO. "Without real leadership
in education reform, our economic future and prosperity are at risk. If companies
were run like many education systems, they wouldn't last a week." "Leaders
and Laggards: A State-by-State Report Card on Educational Effectiveness"
graded all 50 states and Washington, DC, on nine broad categories including
academic achievement, return on investment, truth in advertising, rigor of
standards, and data quality. The report and accompanying recommendations for
reform were prepared with John Podesta, CEO of the Center for American Progress
and former Clinton White House chief of staff, and Frederick M. Hess, director
of education policy at the American Enterprise Institute. They are available
online at on the web site.
Among the findings and points discussed in the report:
- Return on investment varies greatly across states.
- Certain states with a large percentage of low-income and minority students
score far better than others on achievement tests.
- States could do much more to ensure a 21st century teaching workforce.
- Truth in advertising is inconsistent. Many states systematically paint a
much rosier picture of how their schools are doing than is actually the case.
- State standards are too often inadequate.
- Forward-looking states are fostering innovation.
- High school graduation rates and college preparation levels are much higher
in some states than others.
- States have begun to improve data collection efforts.
In response to the report, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings
made the following comments: "With this report, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
and the Center for American Progress add an important voice to the ongoing
dialogue on strengthening our nation's education system -- how to improve
student achievement, get the best teachers into the most challenging classrooms,
and improve the data quality to further customize instruction. Bottom line:
we need to pick up the pace. We have a lot of work to do."
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