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Federal Resources
STEM Attrition: College Students’ Paths Into and Out of STEM Fields
This report from the Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics analyzes data collected on a cohort of students on their movement into and out of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields from the start of their postsecondary education through the subsequent six years. The study focuses on the rate of attrition from STEM and other fields, characteristics of students who leave STEM fields, course taking and performance differences between students who stay in or leave these fields, and the factors associated with STEM attrition.
The Condition of Education 2014
The Condition of Education 2014 presents an overview of the current state of education in the United States. The report includes 42 indicators, grouped under four areas: population characteristics, participation in education, elementary and secondary education, and postsecondary education. The report includes four Spotlights that look in-depth at issues of current policy interest. Spotlight topics include trends in employment rates by educational attainment, kindergarten entry status, the status of rural education, and financing of postsecondary education.
The Condition of Education 2012
The Department of Education’s National Center for Educational Statistics has released, “The Condition of Education 2012,” which summarizes important developments and trends in education. The report includes 49 indicators on the status and condition of education and a closer look at high schools across the country over the past two decades.
Trends Among Young Adults Over Three Decades
The Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics' report, “Trends Among Young Adults Over Three Decades, 1974-2006” outlines patterns of change in postsecondary enrollment, labor force roles, family formation, and civic engagement as measured in young adults two years out of high school in 1972, 1980, 1992, and 2004.
Web Tables on Associate’s Degree Attainers
The Department of Education’s National Center for Educational Statistics developed web tables that reflect characteristics and degree completion times for undergraduate students who entered postsecondary education for the first time in 2003–04 and whose first degree attained by spring 2009 was an associate’s degree.
Trends in High School Dropout and Completion Rates in the United States: 1972-2012
Drawing on an array of nationally representative surveys and administrative datasets, this report updates a series of NCES reports on high school dropout and completion rates that began in 1988. It includes national estimates of the percentage of students who drop out in a given 12-month period, the percentage of young people in a specified age range who are high school dropouts, and the percentage of young people in a specified age range who hold high school credentials.
Reports: NCES Higher Education Trends
NCES issued three higher education trend reports related to grant and scholarship aid, Pell Grant recipients, and non-traditional undergraduate students:
This set of web tables presents trend data on nonfederal grant and scholarship aid awarded to undergraduate students between 1999-2000 and 2011-12.
This set of web tables presents trends in the receipt of federal Pell Grants and among Pell Grant recipients.
This set of web tables provides an array of descriptive statistics about undergraduates with nontraditional characteristics enrolled in the 2011-12 academic year.
Report: Demographic and Enrollment Characteristics of Nontraditional Undergraduates
This report examines an array of descriptive statistics and distribution trends regarding undergraduates with nontraditional characteristics (PDF, 76 pages) enrolled in the 2011-12 academic year.
Report: National Assessment of Educational Progress: Reading and Math
Data from the 2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) show that since 2013 national average reading scores remained steady for fourth graders but decreased for eighth graders, and national average mathematics scores decreased for both grades.
Resource: Digest of Education Statistics, 2014
This compendium reviews statistical information covering the field of education from prekindergarten through graduate school. It includes data on a variety of topics, including the number of schools and colleges, teachers, enrollments, and graduates, in addition to educational attainment, finances, and federal funds for education, libraries, and international comparisons.
Report: The Condition of Education 2016
This Congressionally-mandated report presents 43 indicators related to education, grouped under four areas: population characteristics, participation in education, elementary and secondary education, and postsecondary education. It also describes issues of current policy interest.
Report: Technology and Engineering Literacy
This report is the first-ever nationally-representative assessment of technology and engineering literacy among eighth-grade students. According to the data, half of all students reported using a computer to create, edit, or organize digital media in the last month.
Resource: A Profile of Military Undergraduates: 2011-12
These web tables (PDF, 56 pages) provide key statistics on military students enrolled as undergraduates, with a specific focus on military students enrolled after the enactment of the Post 9/11 GI Bill.
Report: Education of Racial and Ethnic Groups 2016
This report (PDF, 188 pages) examines the educational progress and challenges students face in the United States by race and ethnicity. It features data on multiple indicators, including demographics of students, enrollment, achievement, student behaviors, high school completion, postsecondary education, and outcomes of education.
Report: Results of the 2015 NAEP in Science
This report illustrates the outcomes of the 2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which measured fourth, sixth, and 12th grade students’ knowledge of science. Scores have improved overall, and higher percentages of fourth and eighth grade students demonstrated mastery as compared with the 2009 assessment.
Report: Changes in America’s Public School Facilities
This report summarizes changes between the 1998-99 and the 2012-13 academic years in the average age of public school structures, satisfaction ratings of the environmental quality of school facilities, the cost to get school buildings into good overall condition, and short-range plans to improve school facilities.
Report: Homeschooling in the U.S.
This report provides estimates of the number and percentage of homeschooled students in the U.S. in 2012 and provides historical context with overall estimates of homeschooling in the U.S. since 1999. It also describes demographics of homeschoolers, reasons parents choose homeschooling, and parent reports on curriculum sources, online learning, and math and science subjects children have been taught since starting homeschooling.
Report: Use of Private Loans by Postsecondary Students
This report examines the use of private education loans by both undergraduate and graduate students in the 2003–04, 2007–08, and 2011–12 academic years. This report uses data from three administrations of the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study.
Report: Digest of Education Statistics, 2015
This report provides a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of U.S. education, from pre-kindergarten through graduate school. Topics outlined in the report, which is the 51st in the series, include the participation of students, teachers, and faculty in educational institutions; student performance; the numbers of high school graduates and postsecondary degrees; and expenditures on education.
Report: 2016 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Arts Assessment
This report illustrates the scores for the 2016 NAEP, which measures eighth grade students' knowledge and skills in music and visual arts. The results show scores in arts were unchanged from the last assessment in 2008. The percentage of students taking a music or visual arts course in school also remained unchanged, but participation in the arts outside of school declined in several categories.
Report: Impacts of the Early Warning Intervention and Monitoring System (EWIMS) After One Year
This report describes a study that examined the impacts of EWIMS, a systematic approach to early identification and intervention with students at risk of not graduating on time. Published by Regional Education Laboratory Northwest, the report shows that after a year of limited implementation, EWIMS reduced chronic absence and course failures, but did not reduce the percentage of students with low grade point averages, suspensions, or insufficient credits for graduation.
Report: Public High School Students’ Use of Graduation, Career, or Education Plans
This report analyzes public high school students’ use of graduation, career, or education plans as of 2012. About 40% of students were required to create their own plan, 23% selected from plans offered, and 5% were assigned a plan by the school. Approximately 11% of students developed a plan they submitted and met with school staff at least annually to review or revise it.
Report: Education and Work Plans of U.S. High School Students
This report analyzes the education and work plans of a cohort of high school students when they were in 11th grade. The findings show most students expected postsecondary education would be their primary activity, while about one-fifth expected their main activity to be work. A higher proportion of female students expected their main activity to be postsecondary education and students' expectations for postsecondary education increased as family socioeconomic status increased.
Report: Financial Literacy of 15-Year-Olds: Results from Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015
This report presents the results for U.S. 15-year-olds on the PISA financial literacy assessment, as well as how they compared to their peers in the other participating education systems and how the findings compare to the 2012 assessment.
Report: The Condition of Education 2017
This annual report uses the latest available data to present 50 indicators on education topics, including secondary and postsecondary education, labor force outcomes, and international comparisons. The report also includes four spotlight indicators that provide more in-depth analyses on selected topics.