A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Condition of Education

The good news is that more and more Americans are returning to the classroom in pursuit of lifelong learning. The bad news, for those who do not complete even high school, is a life of more limited opportunities. According to The Condition of Education 1996, a flagship publication of the National Center for Education Statistics, workers with higher levels of education are generally unemployed less and earn more than workers with less education.

Among the other trends highlighted in The Condition, which contains 60 of the most significant national measures of the condition and progress of education, are:

• Schools are facing a period of rising enrollments after a long period of decline, with increases in the number of students with special needs and students who speak a language other than English at home.

• High school students reaching graduation are taking more courses overall, particularly academic courses including advanced math, science, and English courses.

• U.S. students are among the best in the world in the assessment of basic reading literacy, but their math and science scores remain low compared to their counterparts in other countries, even though math and science scores of U.S. students have increased since the early 1980s.

• High school completion rates have gradually risen and more high school graduates are choosing to go immediately to college, but fewer are finishing college within the expected period of time.

• Revenues per student have increased substantially since the early 1980s, but revenues per student vary widely across states and districts, with the wealthiest districts having about 16 percent more cost-of-living adjusted revenue per student than the poorest districts.

To learn more about education in the United States, order The Condition of Education 1996 from GPO for $25, stock #065-000-00871-8. See ordering information.
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