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

The Condition of Education 1995 - August 1995

Commissioner's Statement (Part 1 of 6)

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) gathers and publishes information on the status and progress of education in the United States. The Congressional authorization for these activities (with antecedents to 1867) states that the purpose of the Center is to collect and report "...statistics and information showing the condition and progress of education in the United States and other nations in order to promote and accelerate the improvement of American education."-Section 402(b) of the National Education Statistics Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. 9001). This law also mandates an annual statistical report on the subject from the Commissioner of Education Statistics. This 1995 edition of The Condition of Education responds to the requirements of that law.

This report contains 60 indicators that shed light on the condition of education in the United States. These indicators represent a consensus of professional thinking on the most significant national measures of the condition and progress of education to date, but tempered by the availability of current, valid information. In the text that follows, I will summarize some of the positive developments in American education and point out areas that continue to raise concern. In addition, I will discuss what we know about school quality and describe how the conditions facing the schools have changed.

For some issues of public concern, however, there are no data available that can provide a satisfactory national picture of recent educational developments. One such area where additional work remains is in developing measures of learner outcomes that go beyond the core content areas. These might include measures of integrative reasoning and of attitudes such as tolerance, self-direction, and responsibility. A second area where work remains is in developing better measures of school quality and student learning opportunities. [1]


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