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America's Leading
Educational Bid/RFP Monitoring Service
K-20
Procurement Announcements
HOUSE
REJECTS FY06 EDUCATION BUDGET – FATE
UNCERTAIN
In a
stunning loss for GOP leaders, the FY06 Labor-HHS-Education spending
bill was rejected by the full House in a 224-209 floor vote late
last week. Twenty-two Republican moderates joined all Democrats in
voting against the bill.
The
House’s rejection of the bill precluded what would have been a
similarly daunting vote for passage in the Senate. The final
spending figures had been hammered out in House-Senate conference
committee negotiations that had occurred over the past two
months.
The
bill’s defeat created doubt about its eventual fate—whether leaders
would send the bill back to conference committee, attach it to a
another appropriations bill with some modifications (i.e.,
increases) to spending levels in certain programs, or include it as
is in a year-end omnibus spending package with other budget items
that couldn’t be passed in stand-alone
fashion.
Regardless
of the ultimate legislative vehicle, the education spending levels
in the FY06 appropriations bill could hardly have been more
disappointing with Title I, the cornerstone of federal K-12 aid,
slated to receive only a $100 million increase (0.8%) to $12.8
billion total. Special education was similarly set to get only a
$100 million boost, or 0.7%, that would have brought funding for
IDEA state grants to $11.5 billion. Because the special education
increase did not keep pace with inflation or the rise in special
education enrollment, the $11.5 billion in state grants would have
actually reduced the federal share of special education costs from
18.9% to 18%. A 40% federal share of costs is considered “full
funding.”
Education
technology state grants were to be cut by $221 million to $275
total. Safe and Drug-free state grants were due for an $87 million
cut ($350 million total). The Reading First ($1.1 billion) and
Teacher Quality State Grants ($2.9 billion) were level funded.
Overall, funding for all of the programs in the No Child Left Behind
Act were to be reduced by $784 million. Some or all of these funding
levels—along with spending figures for health programs—could be
revisited as House leaders work to build enough support for passage
among lawmakers.
Congress
did pass a stop-gap spending measure that will keep education
programs funded at FY05 levels until December 17 in the hopes of
enacting the FY06 appropriations bill in the
interim.
GROWTH
MODEL ACCOUNTABILTY WILL BE OPTION FOR 10
STATES
Education
Secretary Margaret Spellings announced that she will allow ten
states to use growth models to meet the accountability requirements
of the No Child Left Behind Act as part of a new pilot program. The
proposal is the result of a task force of educators the Secretary
convened late this summer to study the issue of whether growth
models could be aligned with both the spirit, and more importantly,
the letter of the NCLB law.
The
announcement also comes one month after NASBE published its
year-long study on the use of value-added assessments that included
a strong recommendation that the U.S. Department of Education allow
states to utilize growth models to measure progress toward their
adequate yearly progress (AYP) goals. “Growth model test results
will focus more attention on the progress of individual students
toward proficiency rather than basing consequences on the aggregate
performance of successive cohorts of students,” said Brenda Welburn, NASBE Executive
Director.
Indeed,
in the wake of the Secretary’s announcement, NASBE’s research and
recommendations on value-added assessments have taken on even
greater significance and relevance for federal and state
policymakers. NASBE’s report, Evaluating Value-added: Findings and
Recommendations from the NASBE Study Group on Value-Added
Assessments, is being distributed to all NASBE members
free of charge. Others may purchase copies of the report online at
www.nasbe.org or by calling
800/220-5183.
There
will still be a number of details to work out, especially the
selection criteria by which the lucky ten states will be approved.
States have until February 17, 2006 to submit their
application to be considered for selection as one of the ten states
able to use the growth model accountability in the 2005-06 school
year. To be eligible a state must meet certain principles. Among
these are:
- Ensure
that all students are proficient by 2014 and set annual goals to
ensure that the achievement gap is closing for all groups of
students. Set expectations for annual achievement based upon
meeting grade-level proficiency, not based on student background
or school characteristics;
- Hold
schools accountable for student achievement in reading/language
arts and mathematics. The administration of assessments in reading
and math in grades 3-8 must have been operational for more than
one year. The assessment system must also produce comparable
results from grade to grade and year to
year.
- Track
student progress as part of the State data system. Include student
participation rates and student achievement on a separate academic
indicator in the state accountability
system.
PROVE
IT, SUPREME COURT TELLS PARENTS OF DISABLED
STUDENTS
In
a 6-2 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has sided with the public
school establishment in answering the question of who bears the
burden of proof—parents or the school district—of showing why
an Individual Education Plan (IEP) proposed by the school for
a student with disability is inadequate when a family challenges the
IEP.
School
administrators and school boards hailed the much anticipated
decision as a victory in their attempts to limit special education’s
litigation costs. The parents had argued that the school district
has both the resources and expertise to make the
determination.
The
question of proof is not covered in the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and several states have enacted
laws putting the responsibility on the school district, while the
majority of states have place responsibility with the
parent.
The
case is Schaffer v.
Weast. Justice Sandra Day O’Connor wrote the majority
opinion. Justices Breyer and Ginsburg dissented. Chief Justice John
Roberts did not participate as he had joined the court two days
before the oral arguments.
STATES
CAN GET EXTENSION FOR QUALIFIED TEACHER
DEADLINE
With
six months to go till the end of the school year, at which time all
states and districts are to have 100% of their teachers in core
academic subjects “highly qualified,” Education Secretary Margaret
Spellings recently issued an extension of the deadline for school
systems making good faith efforts to meet the goal. Per NCLB, the
highly qualified teacher designation requires a teacher to have a
bachelor’s degree, full state certification, and a demonstrated
knowledge in the subject being taught.
In
a recent “Dear Colleague” letter to the nation’s fifty chief state
school officers, Spellings wrote “to assure you that States that do
not quite reach the 100 percent goal by the end of the 2005-06
school year will not lose federal funds if they are implementing the
law and making a good faith effort to reach the HQT goal in NCLB as
soon as possible.”
According
to the Department, “if States meet the law’s requirements and the
Department’s expectations but fall short of having highly qualified
teachers in every classroom, these States are expected to
renegotiate a clear plan with concrete action steps to reach the
goal within the following year.”
The
Secretary will use four criteria in determining a state’s progress
in implementing the requirement and its good faith efforts in
meeting it:
1)
A
state must have a definition of a “highly qualified teacher” that is
consistent with what is called for in the law and is applied to all
teachers in the state (a state’s charter school law applies to the
qualification of teachers in charters);
2)
States
and districts must be reporting in a clear, accurate and
understandable manner to parents and the general public the number
and percentages of core classes being taught by highly qualified
teachers. This information must be included in state, district, and
school report cards (per NCLB).
3)
States
must provide complete and accurate data to the U.S. Department of
Education as part of the Consolidated State Performance Report due
in early 2006.
4)
States
must also ensure that the remaining non-highly qualified or
out-of-state teachers are equitably distributed among the general
student population and are not teaching poor or minority students at
higher rates than other children.
If
a state meets all four criteria but is falling short of the 100%
goal, the state can submit a revised timetable to the Secretary by
May 31, 2006 to extend the highly qualified teacher deadline by one
year—to the end of the 2006-07 school
year.
Did
You Know?
Most
federal funds are sent directly to states and local school districts
for their use in schools.
President
Bush’s FY 2005 budget would provide $38.7 billion for K-12
education. Of that amount, 95 percent would be distributed either
directly to local districts or to schools through their states.
Individual schools then use these funds for the purposes defined in
the programs.
§
ESEA
Title I: $13.3 billion
§
IDEA
Part B: $11.1 billion
§
Improving
Teacher Quality: $2.9 billion
§
English
Language Learners: $587.4 million
§
Impact
Aid (schools impacted by military bases and other facilities): $1.2
billion
§
Vocational
Education (skills training): $1 billion
This
and other facts about K-12 education funding can be found in the
U.S. Department of Education’s brochure, “10 Facts About K-12
Education Funding,” available online at: http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/fed/10facts/index.html.
Revenue and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary
Education
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INTRODUCTION |
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Background
These and other financial data on public elementary and
secondary education are collected and reported each year by
the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), U.S.
Department of Education. The data are part of the "National
Public Education Financial Survey" (NPEFS), one of the
components of the Common Core of Data (CCD) collection of
surveys. The initial release data in this report were
collected from March to September 2004. Editing and
imputations were completed in November 2004.
While these data are for school year 2002–03, NPEFS reports
the data on a fiscal calendar, using the later year to denote
the fiscal year 2003. Thus, fiscal year 2003 began on July 1,
2002, and ended on June 30, 2003. However, Alabama started on
October 1, 2002, while in Nebraska and Texas, the fiscal year
started on September 1, 2002. (Definitions of terms used
throughout this report, including state and local revenues,
are provided in appendix B of this report.)
Purpose of Survey
The purpose of the NPEFS Survey is to provide district,
state, and federal policymakers, researchers, and other
interested users with descriptive information about revenues
and expenditures for public elementary and secondary
education. The data collected are useful to (1) chief officers
of state education agencies; (2) policymakers in the executive
and legislative branches of federal and state governments; (3)
education policy and public policy researchers; and (4) the
public, journalists, and others.
Organization of This
Report
This report presents selected findings from the survey. The
body of this report is composed of tables providing an
overview of revenues and expenditures for public elementary
and secondary education during the 2003 fiscal year. The
tables present data on three topics:
- Revenues-presents amount and percentage of local, state,
and federal revenue.
- Current expenditures-compares state spending on
day-to-day expenditures.
- Total expenditures-highlights current expenditures plus
facilities acquisition and construction, replacement
equipment, other programs, and interest on debt.
Finally, two appendixes supply supporting
information. Appendix
A provides technical notes regarding the survey
collection, missing data, and imputations. Appendix B
provides definitions for terms used in this report.
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FCC adopts new
eRate rules
Specific
details were not yet available at press time, but Mark Stevens,
senior auditor in the FCC's Wireline Competition Bureau, highlighted
for commissioners the most significant changes in the agency's Fifth
Report and Order, including:
·
A
framework for heightened scrutiny for applicants and service
providers that have violated eRate rules in the past;
·
An
extension of the rule that bars fund recipients from receiving
additional program benefits if they have yet to repay the fund for
past erroneous disbursements;
·
New
certifications that applicants will have to make as a prerequisite
to funding;
·
Clarification and
tightened guidelines for technology plans that applicants must
develop before applying for funds; and
·
A
lengthening of the time applicants must retain all eRate
documentation to five years, so that any misdeeds can be more easily
detected.
"Taken
together, the order is a major step toward fortifying the eRate
program against the opportunities of waste, fraud, and abuse,"
Stevens said. "Where malfeasance does occur, this order strengthens
the commission's ability to detect it, investigate it, and--where
necessary--prosecute it."
"Our continued
oversight is critical. I think that if we don't prove that this is
being used properly and appropriately, then the program's survival
is at stake," said FCC Commissioner Kathleen Q. Abernathy. "I'm
committed to working with all the schools and the libraries across
the country, with all of you, and with [the Universal Service
Administrative Co., the agency that administers the eRate] to ensure
that this program is run efficiently and effectively."
Abernathy said
she was pleased with the new requirements for document retention as
well as the clarified rules governing technology plans, but she
added that commissioners still need to look at additional ways to
improve the program--including possibly changing the discount levels
that dictate how much money schools and libraries are required to
contribute.
Many eRate
experts had anticipated that the FCC would lower the maximum
discount level for internal connections--the wiring, routers,
switches, and file servers necessary to deliver internet access to
classrooms--to 70 percent, forcing schools to contribute at least 30
percent of the cost of these services themselves.
U.S
Department of Education Hosts First-Ever NCLB Research-to-Practice
Summit for Teachers
U.S. Secretary of
Education Rod Paige today welcomed more than 150 teachers from every
grade level, academic discipline and nearly every state in the
nation to the first-ever National Research-to-Practice Teacher
Summit. The summit, part of the Bush Administration's
Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative, teamed up
leading education researchers and teachers who have successfully put
research into practice in the classroom and asked them to
demonstrate their strategies in reading, mathematics, science and
the arts. The goal is to improve all students’ learning and to close
the achievement gap by providing summit participants with the latest
information about what works in the classroom. The following are
excerpts from Secretary Paige’s opening
remarks:
“Unlike
our colleagues in the ancient past, or even the recent past, we
teach at a unique moment. For now our scholarship in education has
advanced to the point where we can identify and measure best
practices. We now have the skill, the statistical tools, the
methodology, and the research to better examine educational
practices. … I am hopeful that research will take center stage in
educational training, helping teachers learn how to reach their
students and motivate them, not force them into stereotypes,
categories, and columns.”
“We
know that research translates into success. One example of a
successful effort is our Reading First Program. The program is
designed to help teachers learn about scientifically proven,
successful methods for reading instruction. States have already
received almost $1.8 billion for this initiative, as well as almost
$200 million for early childhood reading efforts. The Reading First
Program has already made some substantial progress. In just two
years, more than 45,000 teachers across the country have been
trained. More students will become better readers because of this
program.
“Certainly, the president has been supportive of
education research efforts. Funding for education research and
dissemination has increased 60 percent since 2000. We have
established new programs of research in math, science, and reading
education. … [W]e have met with thousands of teachers across the
United States through efforts like our Teacher-to-Teacher
Initiative. … By helping all teachers achieve at their best, we can
help every student achieve at his or her best as well. By providing
a quality education to every student, day by day and year after
year, we will make this country stronger, nobler, more
compassionate, and more tolerant. We will use education to give each
student a full measure of the American Promise, a share of the
American Dream.”
More
information about the Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative and directions
for signing up for teacher email updates is available
at:
http://www.teacherquality.us/
Secretary
Paige’s speech is available online at:
http://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/2004/07/07202004.html
Voice & Data Integration
for School
Networks
Call it VoIP or internet telephony or IP telephony—but call it
more than just the latest technology trend: A growing number of
school systems nationwide are tapping into
voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) technology to reap what could
add up to substantial long-term savings on their telecommunications
systems.
But IP telephony nowadays is more than a medium for
just for voice communication. It also carries data, and the best
systems carry both voice and data streams in one seamless,
integrated solution
With regulatory decisions in flux and a
district's telephone choices multiplying, it can take serious
research to make the right choice.
First
Nebraska Schools Connect to
Internet2
News
Story
Nebraska
Lt. Gov. Dave Heineman, chair of the Nebraska Information
Technology Commission (NITC), announced recently that 163
central and western Nebraska school districts are the first in
Nebraska to access Internet2, a nationwide high-speed network
designed for research and educational purposes.
"Internet2
represents the next chapter in telecommunications for Nebraska
schools," Lt. Gov. Heineman said. "The collaborative projects and
wide array of resources that are available through this high speed
educational network are astounding. We look forward to Nebraska
students sharing information and participating in nationwide and
even worldwide video-conferences with other schools, colleges,
museums and science centers."
The
Internet2 network is a controlled access system led by more than 200
research universities in partnership with industry and government.
The primary goal of Internet2 is to create a leading edge network
for national research and education communities.
The 163
school districts in Educational Service Units (ESU) 10, 11, 15, and
16 now have access to Internet2 as a result of their combined
purchase of Internet service with the University of Nebraska, state
government, and other entities.
Dr. Wayne Bell,
administrator for ESU 10, which serves approximately 50,000 students
and 10,000 faculty in central and southwestern Nebraska, said,
"Advanced telecommunication services are the lifeline to Nebraska
schools, especially our rural districts. Without the information
resources provided by the Internet and distance learning, our
schools' educational progress would be greatly hindered. It is
gratifying to know that the students and teachers served by ESU 10
will be among the first in the state to share in the resources
provided by Internet2."
Current Internet2 Nebraska
participants include the University of Nebraska Lincoln, the
University of Nebraska Omaha, the University of Nebraska Medical
Center and Creighton University. Other educational entities in
Nebraska, such as state and community colleges, private
universities, libraries and museums are now eligible to participate
through sponsorship by the University of Nebraska and participation
in Network Nebraska.
University of Nebraska President L.
Dennis Smith said, "We are proud to have the statewide backbone,
Network Nebraska, be the conduit to reach Internet2 through the
University of Nebraska system. Ultimately, schools throughout
Nebraska will be able to exchange images, video, and web resources
with educational entities outside our state at unprecedented speeds
without the delays often experienced with traditional Internet
connections."
Network Nebraska is a joint project between
the University of Nebraska, the state of Nebraska, the Nebraska
Educational Telecommunications Commission (NETC), the Department of
Education, the Public Service Commission, and the Nebraska
Information Technology Commission (NITC).
ItSpeaks to web: Don't
just sit there, say something
By Cara Branigan,
Associate Editor, eSchool News
Motivated by a theory
that some students learn better when sound is combined with text, a
Massachusetts multimedia developer has launched an initiative to
increase the use of sound on the web--from commercial web sites to
educational programs and distance learning.
Audio use on
the web today is "very spotty," said Steve Olenick, president of
AudioLink Inc., a recording studio for leading educational
publishers such as Houghton-Mifflin Co., Curriculum Associates, and
others. But Olenick hopes to change that. He's the founder of the
ItSpeaks Initiative, which he describes as "a web group for
like-minded individuals who believe the future of the internet is
that it will be narrated."
Research has
shown that when auditory and visual information work together they
can enhance memory, Olenick says. It's also important to offer sound
online because people have disparate learning styles.
"Some people
think text is fine, that it's faster, but some people don't learn
best that way," he said. "We all like to hear people talk to us."
The
initiative's ultimate goal is the widespread use of sound on the
internet.
"We're in the
silent era of the web, just like in movies. Soon, the internet will
talk," Olenick said. "In many places it already does, but soon it
will become an expected part of the web."
To hasten that
day, Olenick created the grassroots ItSpeaks Initiative. Joining the
initiative is free, and members receive access to articles,
research, and other resources about emerging technologies that
facilitate adding sound to web sites.
Besides
accommodating different learning styles, voices on the internet
offer web site visitors a greater sense of comfort, Olenick said:
"If you have the right voice talking to you, you'll have more sense
of comfort and trust."
Though there
has been too little research on the use of audio on the web,
Discovery Health tested consumer reaction to audio-enhanced pages
using a third-party research firm and a panel of respondents and
found that consumers did prefer audio-enhanced pages in a variety of
contexts, such as quizzes, articles, and animations. In particular,
researchers found that having a voice assist visitors with site
navigation was appreciated.
Olenick says
school leaders could apply that research to school web sites to help
visitors feel more at ease and help them find the information
they're looking for. The audio could explain to visitors how the web
site is set up, such as which sections they will find or where they
can get help if they have a question.
The ItSpeaks
web site publishes guidance on how to embed audio Flash and
RealAudio files in HTML-based sites. It also offers guidance about
how to best use sound on the web. For example, Olenick said, audio
shouldn't merely read the entire contents of a web site. Instead, it
should offer additional information that complements what the web
visitor sees on the site.
Technology
limitations are not a worry for widespread use of sound on the web,
Olenick said, because more and more computers can accommodate Flash
audio files, which are as small as 24 kilobits per second.
Keeping
abreast of emerging concepts for publishing sound online is one of
the main attractions for the initiative's 300 members, who are
mostly training developers, education publishers, and educators.
"We're always
looking for the best way to provide the content online for our
clients," said Todd Mahler, senior project manager for Six Red
Marbles LLC, which makes CD-ROMs and web sites for leading K-8
textbook publishers such as Harcourt School Publishers,
Houghton-Mifflin, and Pearson PLC.
Olenicks says
his education clients use sound for word pronunciations, complete
with definitions and examples of how the words are used in a
sentence, and for positive reinforcement when students answer
questions correctly (or incorrectly) online.
The initiative
is quite important, said Sandra Becker, director of technology for
the Governor Mifflin School District in Shillington, Pa.
"Students need
the option to hear the sound for learning to be better," said
Becker, who estimates that only 5 to 10 percent of educational web
sites take advantage of the auditory experience. "Several web sites
are too difficult for younger students, as they may have difficulty
with the reading level. The audio would certainly help these
students." It also would help serve as "an equalizer" for students
with certain disabilities, she added.
Links:
ItSpeaks
Initiativehttp://www.itspeaks.com
Clark County Public
Schools is the fifth largest district in the nation
in terms of budget ($3,637,421,547.00) with an estimated IT budget
of $72,748,431.00. Enrollment in the distance education courses
available within the district was approximately 4500 part-time
students in FY 2003. Mainly studying specialty courses such as
French and Drivers Education. Jhone Ebert heads the department of
distance education for the school district. As a partner to PBS
(Public Broadcasting Service), the district has the ability to take
advantage of the services PBS offers. When televised courses need to
be produced, the work is done by PBS and is considered in-house.
The major project the department is currently working on is
the creation of a full-time virtual high school. Currently, distance
education is only available on a part-time basis and limited courses
are available. The district has looked into Florida Virtual School
to use their best practices during the planning stages of the
project. Viewed as an official high school, this school will be
partially web-based with courses online and the other portion will
be full semester courses on video, with a total of 70+ courses being
offered. Due to such a large number of students needing drivers
training, the department currently televises the course through the
local PBS station and is the responsibility of the student to either
watch or record it at the time it is televised. A DVD version of the
course will be piloted in fall 2004 to 500 students. IBM was the
project manager for the project and all services will be done
in-house with the exception of Apex Learning who will provide some
of the advanced placement (AP) courses. An expansion to middle
schools is planned within the next few years.
Dallas Independent School District Receives $122.8
Million from 'E-Rate' for School Technology Improvements
Moses Calls the Investment in Technology Significant Boost
for District’s Technology Efforts
DALLAS—Dallas Independent
School District Superintendent Mike Moses on Tuesday announced that
the district has received $122.8 million for technological
improvements in 188 district schools through what is commonly called
the "E-rate."
The total funding is $122,838,123.52, with the
district providing $13.4 million in matching funds in order to
receive the allocation. Work that will be done involves five areas
of development, including network infrastructure cabling, network
electronics enhancements, e-mail system upgrade and enhancements,
qualified server upgrades, and a video teleconferencing system for
each of the 188 schools.
"This is great news for the Dallas
Independent School District as we strive to build the best
technology infrastructure possible in our district," Moses said.
"Because of these funds, our students and teachers will experience
increased opportunities to use and benefit from technology so they
have the important skills necessary to compete in an ever-advancing
technological world."
What this means for the district:
•Cabling: More than 55,000 additional network jacks will be
added to numerous locations in these schools including classrooms,
auditoriums, meeting rooms, common areas, gymnasiums and labs.
Additional fiber optic cables will be added. Portable buildings not
slated for elimination will be connected with underground fiber
optic cable and network Ethernet switches.
• Network Electronics:
Network infrastructures in these schools will be upgraded so that
they run faster. In addition, each school will have a secure
wireless network.
•E-mail System Upgrade: An e-mail system
upgrade will be completed for higher availability and reliability.
All computers using the district e-mail will have the latest e-mail
software installed.
•Servers: Hundreds of servers will be added
or upgraded.
• Video Teleconferencing: Each of the 188 schools
will have one video teleconferencing terminal installed and the
district’s central media control unit will be enhanced to
accommodate a much greater number of simultaneous conferencing
sessions.
The Schools and Libraries Division of the Universal
Services Administrative Company administers the Universal Service
Support Mechanism for Schools and Libraries, commonly called the
"E-rate."
The E-rate program was established as part of the
Telecommunications Act of 1996 to afford access to
telecommunications services for all eligible schools and libraries,
particularly those in rural and inner-city areas. The program is run
under the auspices of the Federal Communications Commission, which
is ultimately responsible for its proper administration. Funded at
up to $2.25 billion annually, the program provides discounts of 20
to 90 percent on telecommunications services, Internet access and
internal connections. Discounts are based on the entity’s percentage
of students eligible for free and reduced meals.
|
The Condition of Education -
2000-2005
This website is an integrated collection of the indicators
and analyses published in The Condition of Education
2000–2005. Some indicators may have been updated since they
appeared in print.
|
|
|
INDICATOR
LIST
Access indicators
and
supporting
material
SPECIAL ANALYSES
LIST
Special analyses
conducted for each
year
HIGHLIGHTS
From COE
2005
PRESS GUIDE
Information
for
reporters
|
SITE
MAP
A visual overview
USER'S
GUIDE
Site organization,
navigation,
and
technical notes
PRINT EDITIONS
List of
COE
publications in
pdf
format
|
| NCES 2005009 |
Dual Credit and Exam-Based Courses in U.S.
Public High Schools: 2002-03
This public
school survey is the first national survey to provide baseline
data on dual credit and exam-based courses, including Advanced
Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses,
for public high school students. The report provides national
estimates of the number of public high schools that offered
dual credit and/or exam-based courses, as well as the number
of enrollments in those courses. In addition, it examines the
location and educational focus of these courses, dual credit
course characteristics, and school requirements surrounding
dual credit courses. Survey findings are presented at the
national level and by school characteristics such as
enrollment size, school locale, region, and percent minority
enrollment. |
4/6/2005 |
 |
| NCES 2005008 |
Dual Enrollment of High School Students at
Postsecondary Institutions: 2002-03
This
report provides data from a nationally representative survey
of Title IV degree-granting postsecondary institutions on the
topic of dual enrollment of high school students. Dual
enrollment, also known as “dual credit,” “concurrent
enrollment,” and “joint enrollment,” refers to the
participation in college-level courses and the earning of
college credits by high school students. Survey respondents at
selected postsecondary institutions were asked to report on
the prevalence of college coursetaking by high school students
at their institutions during the 2002–03 12-month academic
year, both within and outside of dual enrollment programs.
Among institutions with dual enrollment programs, additional
information was obtained on the characteristics of programs,
including course location and type of instructors, program and
course curriculum, academic eligibility requirements, and
funding. Survey findings are presented at the national level
and by institution type and size. |
4/6/2005 |
|
| NCES 2005173 |
User's Guide to Developing Student Interest
Surveys Under Title IX
This User's Guide,
prepared for the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S.
Department of Education, provides a guide for conducting a
survey of student interest in order to satisfy Part 3 of the
Three-Part Test established in the 1979 Policy Interpretation
of the intercollegiate athletic provisions of Title IX of the
Higher Education Act of 1972. |
4/1/2005 |
|
| NCES 2005028 |
Postsecondary Participation Rates by Sex and
Race/Ethnicity: 1974-2003
This Issue Brief
examines participation in postsecondary education among women
and men and among different racial/ethnic groups, from 1974 to
2003. Participation rates are defined here as the proportion
of 18- to 24-year-olds who are enrolled in or have completed
postsecondary education. Over this time period, the
participation rates of young women and of young Whites
outpaced that of their male and minority counterparts, so that
by 2003 young women had a higher participation rate than young
men (reversing the pattern in 1974) and the 1974 gaps in
participation rates favoring young Whites over Hispanics grew
larger. In 2003, the gender gaps in participation were not
significantly different across racial/ethnic groups, nor were
racial/ethnic gaps different across gender groups. Moreover,
the 10-percentage point gender gap in 2003 was smaller than
the racial/ethnic gaps between Whites and Blacks (15
percentage points) and between Whites and Hispanics (23
percentage points). |
3/30/2005 |
|
| NCES 2005170 |
Debt Burden: A Comparison of 1992-93 and
1999-2000 Bachelor’s Degree Recipients a Year After
Graduating
This report uses the 1994 and
2001 Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study (B&B) to
compare the borrowing patterns of 1992–93 and 1999–2000
bachelor’s degree recipients. It also examines their repayment
situations and resulting debt burdens (defined as monthly loan
payments as a percentage of monthly salary income) a year
after they graduated. Members of the earlier cohort finished
their undergraduate borrowing before the changes in the
Stafford loan program were implemented, and most members of
the later cohort would have done all of their borrowing under
the new rules. The major finding of the analysis was that
although both the percentage of graduates who had borrowed for
their undergraduate education and the average total amount
borrowed (adjusting for inflation) increased, the median debt
burden (as defined in the previous paragraph) a year after
graduating was about the same for both cohorts. |
3/25/2005 |
|
| NCES 2005160 |
Feasibility of a Student Unit Record System
Within the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data
System
This report describes the
feasibility of collecting individual enrollment and financial
aid information for each student in postsecondary education.
NCES held three public meetings with key stakeholders from
institutions, states and other interested parties to get
feedback on such issues as burden, cost, and privacy, and to
solicit information on other technical aspects of developing
such a unit record system. This report details the issues
discussed in these meetings. This feasibility study is an
important step to determine the problems that may be
encountered and the issues to be addressed if Integrated
Postsecondary Education Data System were redesigned to replace
five current IPEDS surveys with a unit record system.
|
3/21/2005 |
|
| NCES 2005012 |
Trends in Undergraduate Career
Education
This Issue Brief examines trends
in undergraduate credentials (certificates, associate’s
degrees, and bachelor’s degrees) in career-related areas of
study. These trends are examined at both the subbaccalaureate
and baccalaureate levels, from 1984-85 to 2000-01. The number
of undergraduate credential awards increased over this period,
in both academic and career areas, and at both the
subbaccalaureate and baccalaureate levels. Although career
education grew at a slower pace than academic education, it
remained a majority proportion of undergraduate credentials in
2000-01. In addition, of the 11 career areas of study, 6
increased as a proportion of all credentials at the
subbaccalaureate level, and 4 increased at the baccalaureate
level. Career areas that declined as a proportion of all
credential awards were largely concentrated in
business/marketing and engineering/architectural sciences, at
both levels of education. |
3/17/2005 |
|
| NCES 2005154 |
Postsecondary Institutions in the United States:
Fall 2003 and Degrees and Other Awards Conferred: 2002-03
This report presents information from the
Fall 2003 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System
(IPEDS) web-based data collection. Data were requested from
nearly 6,600 postsecondary institutions participating in Title
IV federal student financial aid programs. The tables in this
publication present counts of institutions by selected
institutional characteristics including tuition, fees, and
other costs. Tables also present data on the number of degrees
and other formal awards conferred during the period July 1,
2002 through June 30, 2003 by Title IV postsecondary
institutions. |
3/14/2005 |
|
| NCES 2005083 |
Computer Technology in the Public School
Classroom: Teacher Perspectives
This Issue
Brief examines public school teacher views on technology in
the classroom. Using data from the 2000–01 Teacher Follow-up
Survey (TFS), the Brief reports on what types of technology
teachers find essential and whether they consider technology
sufficiently available in their classrooms. It also compares
teacher opinions across various teacher characteristics. A
majority of teachers (57 percent) considered their classroom
technology sufficiently available. |
3/11/2005 |
|
| NCES 2005338 |
A Profile of the American High School Sophomore
in 2002: Initial Results From the Base Year of the
Longitudinals Study of 2002
This report
presents findings from the base year of the Education
Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), a new longitudinal
study of high school students. The report provides descriptive
information about the experiences and characteristics of a
nationally representative sample of 10th-graders who were
studied in the spring term of the 2001-02 school year. It
examines the cohort’s sociodemographic characteristics, school
experiences, participation in extracurricular activities, time
use, tested achievement in reading and mathematics, and
educational expectations and plans. SPECIAL NOTE: This report
has been temporarily removed from the NCES website. Errors in
calculating standard deviations were discovered in chapters 5
and 6. A corrected copy of the report with revised analyses
will be available by the end of April. |
3/10/2005 |
|
| NCES 2005311 |
Fifty Years of Supporting Children’s Learning: A
History of Public School Libraries and Federal Legislation
from 1953–2000
Drawn from more than 50
sources, this report presents descriptive data about public
school libraries since 1953. Along with key characteristics of
school libraries, the report also presents national and
regional standards, and federal legislation affecting school
library media centers. Data from sample surveys are presented
at the national, regional, and school levels, and by state.
|
3/10/2005 |
|
| NCES 2005356 |
E.D. TAB: Public Libraries in the United States:
Fiscal Year 2002
This report includes
national and state summary data on public libraries in the 50
states, the District of Columbia, and the outlying areas for
state fiscal year 2002, with an introduction, findings, and
numerous tables. Data are included on circulation, library
visits, reference transactions, interlibrary loans, children's
program attendance, service outlets, public service hours,
electronic measures, staff, income, expenditures, and other
information. |
3/9/2005 |
|
| NCES 2005063 |
Estimating Undergraduate Enrollment in
Postsecondary Education Using National Center for Education
Statistics Data
A number of National Center
for Education Statistics (NCES) surveys can be used to
estimate enrollment levels in postsecondary education.
Generating consistent enrollment estimates, however, is
complicated by differences in surveys that lead to different
enrollment counts. This report describes the process of
generating comparable estimates of undergraduate enrollment in
postsecondary institutions across four NCES data sets (CPS
October Supplement, IPEDS, NHES, NPSAS). The report highlights
differences across these surveys that may affect postsecondary
enrollment estimates and describes how largely comparable
estimates can be derived, given these differences. |
3/3/2005 |
|
| NCES 2005010 |
Distance Education Courses for Public Elementary
and Secondary School Students: 2002-03
This
public school district survey is the first national survey to
explore distance education courses for public elementary and
secondary school students. The report provides national
estimates of the number of districts and schools with students
enrolled in distance education courses, as well as the number
of enrollments in those courses. In addition, it examines the
reported reasons for having distance education courses, the
instructional level of the populations served, entities
delivering the courses to students, and data pertaining to
online courses. Data about curriculum areas and technology in
distance education courses are also discussed. Survey findings
are presented at the national level and by school district
characteristics such as metropolitan status, district
enrollment size, region, and poverty concentration. |
3/2/2005 |
|
| NCES 2005158 |
2003–04 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study
(NPSAS:04): Student Financial Aid Estimates for
2003-04
This report is the first
publication based on the 2003–04 National Postsecondary
Student Aid Study (NPSAS:04) conducted by the National Center
for Education Statistics (NCES) within the U.S. Department of
Education. NPSAS is a comprehensive survey that examines how
students and their families pay for postsecondary education.
The report describes the percentages of students receiving
various types of financial aid and average amounts received,
by type of institution attended, attendance pattern,
dependency status, and income level. |
2/28/2005 |
|
| NCES 2005169 |
Gender Differences in Participation and
Completion of Undergraduate Education and How They Have
Changed Over Time
This report drew on
several publications and postsecondary datasets to provide a
detailed account of gender differences in undergraduate
education. Specifically, the analysis examined gender
differences in rates of participation and completion of
undergraduate education, focusing on changes over time in
college enrollment, associate’s and bachelor’s degree awards,
and the demographic and enrollment characteristics of
undergraduate men and women. The analysis also examined trends
in high school academic preparation, postsecondary persistence
and degree completion, and early labor market outcomes among
bachelor’s degree recipients. |
2/25/2005 |
|
| NCES 2005015 |
Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools and
Classrooms: 1994-2003
This report presents
10 years of data from 1994 to 2003 on Internet access in U.S.
public schools by school characteristics. It provides trend
analysis on the percent of public schools and instructional
rooms with Internet access and on the ratio of students to
instructional computers with Internet access. The report
contains data on the types of Internet connections, support of
computer hardware/software and websites, technologies and
procedures used to prevent student access to inappropriate
material on the Internet, and the availability of hand-held
and laptop computers to students or teachers. It also provides
information on school websites, the availability of computers
with Internet access outside of regular school hours, and
teacher professional development on how to integrate the use
of the Internet into the curriculum. |
2/24/2005 |
|
| NCES 2005021 |
Comparative Indicators of Education in the
United States and Other G8 Countries: 2004
This report shows how the U.S. education system compares
to other major industrialized countries (Canada, France,
Germany, Italy, Japan, Russian Federation, United Kingdom) in
four areas: (1) the context of education; (2) preprimary and
primary education; (3) secondary education; and (4) higher
education. This report is an update of the 2002 G8 Report, and
is part of a series to be published in alternate years.
|
2/18/2005 |
|
| NCES 2005611 |
Education Statistics Quarterly-Vol. 6 Issues
1&2
The Quarterly offers a
comprehensive overview of work done across all of NCES. Each
issue includes short publications and summaries covering all
NCES publications and data products released in a given time
period as well as notices about training and funding
opportunities. In addition, each issue includes a featured
topic with invited commentary, and a note on the topic from
NCES. |
2/4/2005 |
|
| NCES 2005314 |
Public Elementary and Secondary Students, Staff,
Schools, and School Districts: School Year
2002-03
This report contains data from the
Common Core of Data (CCD) non-fiscal 2002-03 state, local
education agency, and school surveys. The report presents data
about the students enrolled in public education, including the
number of students by grade and the number receiving special
education, migrant, or English language learner services. Some
tables disaggregate the student data by racial/ethnic group or
community characteristics such as rural - urban. The numbers
and types of teachers, other education staff, schools, and
local education agencies are also reported. |
2/2/2005 |
|
| NCES 2005013 |
User’s Manual for the ECLS-B Nine-Month
Public-Use Data File and Electronic Code Book
The ECLS-B base year public-use data are available on
CD-ROM. The User's Manual is reproduced on the CD and includes
a description of the study design and information to help
users access and use the data files and electronic codebook
contained on the CD. |
1/31/2005 |
|
| NCES 2005168 |
Enrollment in Postsecondary Institutions, Fall
2002 and Financial Statistics, Fiscal Year 2002
This report presents findings from the
Spring 2003 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System
(IPEDS) Web-based data collection. Data were requested from
over 6,600 postsecondary institutions participating in Title
IV federal student financial aid programs. The tables in this
publication present enrollment data for fall 2002, financial
statistics for fiscal year 2002, and student financial aid
data for academic year 2001-2002. Also included are graduation
rate data for the 1996 and 1999 student cohorts. |
1/27/2005 |
|
| NCES 2005302 |
School Library Media Centers: Selected Results
From the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002
(ELS:2002)
This report provides an overview
of the current state of school library media centers that
serve U.S. 10th-graders. It contains summarized findings from
the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002) library
media center survey. The ELS:2002 library media center survey,
primarily administered to school librarians, examined various
aspects of school libraries—their space, organization,
collections, resources, staffing, and use. In addition,
10th-graders provided information on their use of and opinions
about their school libraries. This report presents findings
for schools by the following school characteristics: school
sector, school urbanicity, school region, grade span, school
enrollment, and the percentage of students receiving free or
reduced-priced lunch in grade 10. Findings for students are
presented by the following characteristics: sex,
race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status (SES), composite
achievement test score in grade 10, student’s school sector,
student’s school urbanicity, and student’s school region.
|
1/19/2005 |
|
| NCES 2005454 |
The Nation's Report Card: An Introduction to The
National Assessment of Educational Progress
(NAEP)
The Nation's Report Card: An
Introduction to The National Assessment of Educational
Progress (NAEP) explains the major features of NAEP in a
non-technical manner. It highlights the history and
development of NAEP, how the data are collected, scored, and
analyzed, and how the results are reported. This introductory
guide to NAEP is designed to meet the information needs of
teachers, parents, and other members of the general public
about the nation's premier assessment of what America's
elementary and secondary students know and can do. |
1/17/2005 |
|
Ed
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