The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) have released the Condition of Education 2012 report! There are some interesting trends. I have highlighted a few:
- Enrollment is up, especially for minority groups.
- Racial gap for poverty persists for black students and grows for hispanic students
- Expenditures per student rose 46% (average $10,995) but capital outlay did not outpace interest on school debt.
- Reading outcomes were generally level, math outcomes increased across the board.
- Math enrollment increased for high school students.
- Dropouts declined to 7% (from 12%) between 1990-2010.
- Post secondary enrollment is up 37%, Bachelor’s degrees awarded are up 33%. Racial gap widened for black and hispanic students as compared to white students.
- STEM degrees are level at 5% of undergraduate degrees.
So, we’re spending more money but perhaps not as effectively to address the greater needs our students have in terms of high risk factors for failing in our public school system. The math gains are noteworthy but progress is painfully slow as our industry workforce needs in STEM continue to outpace students graduating with degrees.
It will be interesting to see how the Common Core, Next Generation Science Standards, and the new assessment systems (PARCC and SmaterBalance) contribute to progress for our current students.
Access the full report at http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2012/2012045.pdf.
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