NCES 2008-032

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
This page intentionally left blank.
U.S. Department of Education

NCES 2008-032

The Conditionof Education in BriefJune 2008EditorAndrea LivingstonMPR Associates, Inc.
U.S. Department of Education

Margaret SpellingsSecretaryInstitute of Education SciencesGrover J. WhitehurstDirectorNational Center for Education StatisticsMark SchneiderCommissionerThe National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting, analyzing, and reportdata related to education in the United States and other nations. It fulfi lls a congressional mandate to collect, collatanalyze, and report full and complete statistics on the condition of education in the United States; conduct and pulish reports and specialized analyses of the meaning and signifi cance of such statistics; assist state and local educatagencies in improving their statistical systems; and review and report on education activities in other countries.NCES activities are designed to address high-priority education data needs; provide consistent, reliable, com plete, and accurate indicators of ed u ca tion status and trends; and report timely, useful, and high-quality data to the U.S. De part ment of Education, the Congress, the states, other education policymakers, prac ti tio ners, data users, and the general public. Unless specifi cally noted, all information contained herein is in the public domain.We strive to make our products available in a variety of formats and in language that is appropriate to a variety of audiences. You, as our customer, are the best judge of our success in communicating information effectively. If you have any comments or suggestions about this or any other U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Ed u ca tion Statistics, product or report, we would like to hear from you. Please direct your comments to National Center for Education Statistics Institute of Education Sciences U.S. Department of Education 1990 K Street NW Washington, DC 20006–5651June 2008The NCES World Wide Web Home Page is http://nces.ed.gov.The NCES World Wide Web Electronic Catalog is http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch.
What’s Inside

This publication contains a sample of the 43 indicators in The Condition of Ed

of The Condition free of charge, call ED PUBS (1-877-4ED-PUBS). The indicators in this publication are numbered sequentially, rather than accThe Contents page offers a cross-reference between the two publications.Since 1870, the federal government has gathered data about students, teacheby Congress, the U.S. De part ment of Ed u ca tion’s National Center for EducatSciences annually publishes a sta tis ti cal report on the status and progress of Education in cludes data and analysis on a wide variety of issues. These data The 2008 edition of The Condition contains indicators that are divided into fi 

• Participation in Education• Learner Outcomes• Student Effort and Educational Progress• Contexts of Elementary and Secondary Education• Contexts of Postsecondary Education

The publication also contains ad di tion al tables and notes related to each in dThe Condition of Education 2008 in Brief and the complete edition are ava
This page intentionally left blank.
Contents

Indicator 1 Enrollment Trends by Age (Indicator 1) ...........................................

Indicator 2 Past and Projected Public School Enrollments (Indicator 3) ....Indicator 3 Trends in Private School Enrollments (Indicator 4) ......................

Indicator 4 Language Minority School-Age Children (Indicator 7) ..............

Indicator 5 Past and Projected Undergraduate Enrollments (Indicator 9) Indicator 6 Reading Performance of Students in Grades 4, 8, and 12 (IndiIndicator 7 Mathematics Performance of Students in Grades 4 and 8 (IndIndicator 8 Writing Performance of Students in Grades 8 and 12 (IndicatIndicator 9 International Comparisons of Science Literacy (Indicator 19) Indicator 10 Annual Earnings of Young Adults (Indicator 20) ..........................Indicator 11 Public High School Graduation Rates by State (Indicator 21) .Indicator 12 Status Dropout Rates by Race/Ethnicity (Indicator 23) .............Indicator 13 Immediate Transition to College (Indicator 24) ............................Indicator 14 Degrees Earned by Women (Indicator 27) ......................................

Indicator 15 Teacher Turnover (Indicator 31) .........................................................Indicator 16 Student/Teacher Ratios in Public Elementary and Secondary Indicator 17 Changes in Sources of Public School Revenue (Indicator 34) .Indicator 18 Public Elementary and Secondary Expenditures by District PIndicator 19 Undergraduate Fields of Study (Indicator 39) ...............................

Indicator 20 Faculty Salary, Benefi ts, and Total Compensation (Indicator 42Indicator 21 Employment of College Students (Indicator 43) ..........................

Participationin EducationLearner OutcomesStudent Effort andEducational ProgressContexts of Elementaryand Secondary EducationContexts ofPostsecondary Education
Page 2 | The Condition of Education 2008 in Brief

Indicator 1Enrollment Trends by Age

Children ages 3–4 (typically nursery school ages) had the larg56 percent) of any age group between 1970 and 2006. Durinages 18–24—when individuals are typically enrolled in or transworkforce—also showed notable growth. For example, the ovpercent for those ages 18–19, from 32 to 48 percent for those those ages 22–24. Among older adults, the enrollment rate in25–29 and from 4 to 7 percent for those ages 30–34.Between 1970 and 2006, children ages 3–4 had the largesalso notable growth in enrollment rates for those ages 18

NOTE: Includes enrollment in any type of graded public, parochial, or other private schools. Includes nursery schools, kindergartens, elementary schools, high schools, colleges, universities, and professional schools. Beginning in 1994, new procedures were used to collect preprimary enrollment data. As a result, pre-1994 data may not be comparable to data from 1994 or later. Attendance may be on either a full-time or parttime basis and during the day or night. Excludes homeschooled students and enrollments in less-than-2-year postsecondary institutions and enrollments in “special” schools, such as trade schools, business colleges, or correspondence schools. The age breakouts used in this indicator refl ect the different schooling stages that are typical for students given their age. For example, students at ages 18–19 are typically transitioning from elementary/secondary education into postsecondary education or the workforce.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, 2007 (NCES 2008-022), table 7, data from U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), October, 1970–2006.

ENROLLMENT RATES: Percentage of the population ages 3–34 enrolle

0

20406080

100

1970 2006 

1980 1990 2000 1970 

Percent

Year

Ages 3–19 

Ages 7–13

Ages 14–17 Ages 5–6

Ages 18–19

Ages 

Ages 3–4
Th

Participation in Education After declining in the 1970s and early 1980s and increasing in the late 1980s, public school enrollment prekindergarten (preK) through 12th grade continued to increase throughout the 1990s and early 2000Between 2000 and 2008, public school enrollment is expected to increase by 2.6 million students and to rea49.8 million students in 2008—34.9 million in preK–8th grade and 14.9 million in grades 9–12. Total pubschool enrollment is projected to set new records each year from 2008 through 2017, reaching an estimathigh of 54.1 million students. Since 1965, the South has had the largest share of public school enrollment the United States, and according to projections, this percentage will increase between 2008 and 2017.Public elementary and secondary enrollment is projected to increase to 54 million in 2017.

SCHOOL ENROLLMENT: Public school enrollment in prekindergarten through grade 12, with projections, by grade leveVarious years, fall 1965–2017

0

10,00020,00030,00040,00050,00060,000

2010 2017

Total

Grades preK–8

Grades 9–12

1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Fall of year

Enrollment (in thousands) Projected

1965 1970 1975 1980

49,464

34,422

15,041
Page 4 | The Condition of Education 2008 in Brief

Indicator 3Trends in Private School Enrollments

From 1989 to 2001, private school enrollment in kindergarten million students, but had declined to 5.1 million students by 2enrolled in private schools was higher in 2005 than in 1989, thschools declined from 11 to 9 percent. In addition to the chathe distribution of students across different types of private scman Catholic schools maintained the largest share of total privRoman Catholic students decreased from 55 to 44 percent.From 1989 to 2005, the percentage of students enrolled in percent.

1 Other religious schools have a religious orientation or purpose, 

but are not Roman Catholic. Conservative Christian schools are those with membership in at least one of four associations: Accelerated Christian Education, American Association of Christian Schools, Association of Christian Schools International, or Oral Roberts University Education Fellowship. Affi liated schools are those with membership in other religious school associations. Unaffi liated schools are those that have a religious orientation or purpose, but are not classifi ed as Conservative Christian or affi liated.

2 Nonsectarian schools do not have a religious orientation 

or purpose.NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Private School Universe Survey (PSS), 1989–90 and 2005–06.

PRIVATE SCHOOL ENROLLMENT: Percentage distribution of private scby school type: Fall 1989 and fall 2005

Percent

1989 20

School type

Roman Catholic

Co

C

Total Parochial Diocesan Private Total

0

20406080

100

55

44

32

15 18 

32

37

7 7 19
Th

Participation in Education Between 1979 and 2006, the number of school-age children (ages 5–17) who spoke a language other thEnglish at home increased from 3.8 to 10.8 million (from 9 to 20 percent of the population in this arange). An increase was also evident between 2000 and 2006 (from 18 to 20 percent). The percentage school-age children who spoke English with diffi culty increased from 3 to 6 percent between 1979 an2000, but this percentage did not change measurably after 2000. In 2006, about 72 percent (7.8 millioof the school-age children who spoke a language other than English at home spoke Spanish, followed other Indo-European1 languages, Asian/Pacifi c Islander2 languages, and other languages.In 2006, about 20 percent of children ages 5–17 spoke a language other than English at home, and 5 percent spoke English with diffi culty.

LANGUAGE MINORITY: Percentage of 5- to 17-year-olds who spoke a language other than English at home and whspoke English with diffi culty: Selected years, 1979–2006

Spoke a language other than English at home and spoke English with difficulty

Spoke a language other than English at home

05

10152025

Percent

39

4

12

5 5

13

5 55

6

17

18

5 55 5

20 20

14

19 19 19 19

Year

1979 1989 1992 1995 2000 2002 2004 2006
Page 6 | The Condition of Education 2008 in Brief

Indicator 5Past and Projected Undergraduate Enrollments Total undergraduate enrollment in degree-granting postsecondary 

and is projected to reach 15.6 million students in 2008 and 17.0 mpanied by changes in the proportion of students who are female. enrollment increased over three times as fast as men’s, surpassing women’s enrollment rose from 3.2 to 8.7 million (an increase of 14.3 to 6.5 million (an increase of 53 percent). From 2007 to 20enrollments are projected to increase, with women maintaining Women are projected to make up 57 percent of undergrad

NOTE: Projections are based on data through 2006 and middle alternative assumptions concerning the economy. For more information, see NCES 2008-078. Data for 1999 were imputed using alternative procedures. For more information, see NCES 2001-083, appendix E. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Digest of Education Statistics, 2007

(NCES 2008-022), table 196, and Hussar, W. (forthcoming). Projections of Education Statistics to 2017 (NCES 2008-078), tables 16, 18, and 19, data from U.S. Department of Education, NCES, Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), “Fall Enrollment in Colleges and Universities” surveys, 1970–1985, and 1986–2006 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, “Fall Enrollment Survey” (IPEDS-EF:86–99), and Spring 2001 through Spring 2007.

UNDERGRADUATE ENROLLMENT: Total undergraduate enrollment in institutions with projections, by sex: Fall 1970–2017

02468

1012

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 

Year

Enrollment (in millions)
Th

Learner Outcomes The percentage of 4th-graders performing at or above the Basic achievement level on the National Assessmeof Educational Progress (NAEP) reading assessment was higher in 2007 than in 1992 (67 vs. 62 percenas was the percentage performing at or above Profi cient (33 vs. 29 percent).1 Percentages at both achiev

ment levels were higher in 2007 than in 2005. The percentage of 8th-graders at or above Basic was highin 2007 than in 1992 (74 vs. 69 percent), while there was no measurable difference in the percentage at above Profi cient. The percentage of 12th-graders at or above Basic was lower in 20052 than in 1992 (73 v

80 percent), as was the percentage at or above Profi cient (35 vs. 40 percent).

National average reading scores of 4th- and 8th-graders were higher in 2007 than 1992, by 4 and 3 points, respectively. However, the score of 12th-graders was 6 points lower in 2005 than 1992.

READING PERFORMANCE: Percentage distribution of 4th- and 8th-grade students across NAEP reading achievemelevels: Selected years, 1992–2007

50

0

50

100

50

0

50

100

Grade 4Grade 8

6

223438

7

223140

7

243238

7

223040

243236

7

243237

8

243336

8

253433

8

264031

3

274030

3

314126

3

304127

3043

25

3

294226

3

284227

3

284326

3

Below

Basic

Above

Basic

Below

Basic

Above

Basic

Year

Percent

3

19981998 20032002 2005 2007 1 19941 19921

At Advanced

At ProficienAt BasicBelow Basic
Page 8 | The Condition of Education 2008 in Brief

Indicator 7

From 1990 to 2007, the average scores on the National Assessmenassessment increased 27 points for 4th-graders and 19 points forace/ethnicity. The percentages of 4th- and 8th-graders performinat Advanced achievement levels were higher in 2007 than in all pre

the percentage of 4th-graders at or above Profi cient increased btripled from 1990 to 2007 (13 vs. 39 percent). For 8th-graders, 

increased by 2 percentage points from 2005 to 2007 and double

Mathematics Performance of Students in Grades 4 and 8

In 2007, students in grades 4 and 8 showed improvements mathematics achievement levels. 

1 Testing accommodations (e.g., extended time, small group 

testing) for children with disabilities and limited-Englishprofi cient students were not permitted in 1990 and 1992, and students were tested with and without accommodations in 1996.NOTE: NAEP has assessed the mathematical abilities of students in grades 4 and 8 in public and private schools since 1990. NAEP mathematics scores range from 0 to 500. The achievement levels defi ne what students should know and be able to do: Basic indicates partial mastery of fundamental skills; Profi cientindicates demonstrated competency over challenging subject matter; and Advanced indicates superior performance. Calculations are based on unrounded numbers. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), selected years, 1990–2007 Mathematics Assessments, NAEP Data Explorer.

MATHEMATICS PERFORMANCE: Percentage distribution of 4th- and achievement levels: Selected years, 1990–2007

50

0

50

100

19961996 2000 

1 19921 19901

Year

50

0

50

100

Grade 4Grade 8

Percent

Below

Basic

 Above

Basic

Below

Basic

Above

Basic

2

1337

48

3

1837

42

203938

2038

39

4

2138

37

5

4

1

1237

50

2

1641

41

194336

1943

37

2

21

4235

3

2
Th

Learner OutcomesAverage writing scores of 8th- and 12th-graders were higher in 2007 than in previous years.In 2007, the average writing scores of 8th- and 12th-graders on the National Assessment of EducationProgress (NAEP) were higher than in either 1998 or 2002. The percentage of 8th-graders performing at above the Basic achievement level was higher in 2007 than in 1998 (88 vs. 84 percent), as was the percenage performing at or above Profi cient (33 vs. 27 percent). The percentage of 8th-graders at or above Baswas also higher in 2007 than in 2002, but no measurable difference was found in the percentage at or aboProfi cient between these two years. The percentage of 12th-graders at or above Basic increased from percent in 2002 to 82 percent in 2007 and was also higher in 2007 than in 1998.

WRITING PERFORMANCE: Percentage distribution of students across NAEP writing achievement levels, by grade: 1992002, and 2007

57 51

Percent

50

0

50

100

Below

Basic

Above

Basic

Grade 8

Grade 12

1

255816

2

2954

15

2

315612

1

2122

1

235718

50

0

50

100

1998 2002 2007

Below

Basic

Above

Basic

2

22

26

Year

At Advanced

At ProficientAt BasicBelow Basic
Page 10 | The Condition of Education 2008 in Brief

Indicator 9International Comparisons of Science Literacy The 2006 Program for International Student Assessment (PI

15-year-olds in 57 educational jurisdictions, including the 30 Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and 27 non-systems. According to PISA 2006, the average U.S. science liter30 OECD countries (500). On average, U.S. students scored lowhigher than students in 5 OECD countries. U.S. students also sjurisdictions and higher than their peers in 17 non-OECD juriwas below the OECD average in explaining phenomena scienThe average U.S. science literacy score was below the averascored lower than students in 16 OECD countries and highe

NOTE: The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is an intergovernmental organization of 30 industrialized nations. The OECD average represents the average of the 30 member nations where each country is counted equally regardless of population size. The OECD average was set to 500 with a standard deviation of 100.SOURCE: Baldi, S., Jin, Y., Skewer, M., Green, P. J., and Herget, D. (2007). Highlights From PISA 2006: Performance of U.S. 15-Year-Old Students in Science and Mathematics Literacy in an International Context (NCES 2008-016), table 2a, data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), 2006. 

INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE LITERACY PERFORMANCE: Average combined sby country or jurisdiction: 2006

Average score relative 

to U.S. average score OECD-member count

Signifi cantly 

higher

Finland 563 Netherlands 525 

Canada 534 Korea, Republic of 522 

Japan 531 Germany 516 New Zealand 530 United Kingdom 515 Australia 527 Czech Republic 513 

Not signifi cantly 

different

Poland 498 Iceland 491 Denmark 496 United States 489 

France 495 Slovak Republic 488 

Signifi cantly 

lower

Italy 475 Greece 473 

Portugal 474 Turkey 424

Non-OECD-member jurisd

Signifi cantly 

higher

Hong Kong-China 542 Estonia 531 Chinese Taipei 532 Liechtenstein 522 

Not signifi cantly 

different

Croatia 493 Lithuania 488Latvia 490 Russian Federation 479

Signifi cantly 

lower

Israel 454 Jordan 422 Chile 438 Thailand 421 

Serbia, Republic of 436 Romania 418 

Bulgaria 434 Montenegro, 

Uruguay 428 Republic of 412 
The 

Learner Outcomes Median earnings for young adults ages 25–34 who worked full time, full year were higher for those wimore education in each year between 1995 and 2006. For example, young adults with a bachelor’s degrconsistently had higher median earnings than those with less education, and this pattern held by sex anrace/ethnicity. In 2006, the median earnings of young adults with a bachelor’s degree were $43,500, whthe median earnings were $34,000 for those with an associate’s degree, $29,000 for high school completer

and $22,000 for those who did not earn a high school diploma. The median earnings of young adults with master’s degree or higher were $50,000, or 15 percent more than young adults with a bachelor’s degree

In 2006, young adults ages 25–34 with a bachelor’s degree earned 28 percent more than young adults with an associate’s degree and 50 percent more than young adult high school completers

ANNUAL EARNINGS: Median annual earnings of full-time, full-year wage and salary workers ages 25–34, by educationattainment: 1995–2006

0

10,00020,00030,00040,00050,000

$60,000

Master’s degree or higherBachelor’s degreeAssociate’s degreeSome collegeHigh school diploma or equivalentLess than high school

Year

Dollars [In constant 2006 dollars]

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Page 12 | The Condition of Education 2008 in Brief

Indicator 11Public High School Graduation Rates by State Among public high school students in the class of 2004–05, 

estimate of the percentage of an incoming freshman class that ma—was 74.7 percent. Nebraska had the highest averaged freNevada had the lowest rate at 55.8 percent. Sixteen other statstates and the District of Columbia had rates below 70 percenrate among public school students increased from 71.7 percent the class of 2004–05. Between these years, the rate increased iAbout three-quarters of the freshman class graduated frodiploma in 2004–05.

Studen

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), “State Nonfi scal Survey of Public Elementary/Secondary Education,” 1986–87 through 2005–06; and Seastrom, M., Hoffman, L., and Chapman, C. (2006c). The Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate for Public High Schools From the Common Core of Data: School Years 2002–03 and 2003–04 (NCES 2006-606rev).

HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION: Averaged freshman graduation rate for p2004–05
The 

Student Effort and Educational Progress The status dropout rate represents the percentage of persons in an age group who are not enrolled in school anhave not earned a high school diploma or equivalent credential, such as a General Educational Developme(GED) certifi cate. Among 16- through 24-year-olds, the status dropout rate declined between 1972 and 20(15 to 9 percent) and between 2000 and 2006 (11 to 9 percent). In general, the status dropout rates for WhitBlacks, and Hispanics in this age group each declined between 1972 and 2006. However, during this period, trate was lowest for Whites and highest for Hispanics. Though the gaps between the rates of Blacks and Whitand between the rates of Hispanics and Whites have decreased, the patterns have not been consistent.Status dropout rates for Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics ages 16–24 have each generally declined between 1972 and 2006. Rates for Whites remained lower than rates for Hispanics and Blacks.

STATUS DROPOUTS: Status dropout rates of 16- through 24-year-olds, by race/ethnicity: October 1972–2006

200620042002200019981996199419921990

Year

198819861984198219801978197619741972

Hispanic

Percent

Total

Black

White

0

1020304050
Page 14 | The Condition of Education 2008 in Brief

Indicator 13Immediate Transition to College

The rate at which high school completers1 ages 16–24 enrolled 

school was approximately 50 percent in most years between 197to 67 percent and has fl uctuated between 62 and 69 percent since rates increased overall between 1972 and 2006 for both Whites in the White-Black gap. For Hispanics, the rate has fl uctuated oand 2006. Nonetheless, the gap between Hispanics and Whiteimmediate college enrollment rate was 58 percent for Hispanic

The rate of college enrollment immediately after high schpercent in 1972 to 67 percent by 1997, but has since fl uctu

Studen

1 Refers to those who completed 12 years of school for survey 

years 1972–1991 and to those who earned a high school diploma or equivalent certifi cate, such as a General Educational Development (GED) certifi cate, for all years since 1992. NOTE: Includes those ages 16–24 completing high school in a given year. Actual rates are annual estimates; trend rates show the linear trend of these annual values over the period shown. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. The erratic nature of the Hispanic rate refl ects, in part, the small sample size of Hispanic high school completers. Some estimates have been revised from previous publications.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), October Supplement, 1972–2006.

COLLEGE ENROLLMENT RATES: Actual and trend rates of high school comimmediately following high school completion, by race/ethnicity: 19

0

20406080

100

Percent

White vs. Black 

Year

1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2006 1972 1976 19

White 

Black 
The 

Student Effort and Educational Progress Women earned 58 percent of all bachelor’s degrees awarded in 2005–06 (up from 55 percent in 1995–96). Durithis period, the number of degrees earned by women increased by 33 percent at the bachelor’s level (from 642,0to 855,000). Though women have earned a larger number and percentage of bachelor’s degrees overall than mhave since the early 1980s (NCES 2008-022, table 258), their share in particular fi elds has varied. For exampin 2005–06, women earned over 75 percent of bachelor’s degrees awarded in health professions, education, anpsychology and 50 percent of bachelor’s degrees awarded in business, but they earned less than a quarter bachelor’s degrees awarded in computer and information sciences (21 percent) and in engineering (18 percenWomen have earned a greater percentage of bachelor’s degrees than men since the early 1980s overall, but men still earn a greater percentage of degrees in computer and information sciences and engineerin

BACHELOR’S DEGREES: Percentage of bachelor’s degrees women earned and change in the percentage of degrees womeearned, by fi eld of study: Academic years 1990–91, 1995–96, and 2005–06

Field of study 1990–91 1995–96 2005–06

Change in percentag

points betwee

1995–96 and 2005–0

 Total1 53.9 55.1 57.5 2

Health professions and related clinical sciences 83.9 81.5 86.0 4

Education 78.9 75.1 79.1 3

Psychology 72.6 73.0 77.5 4

English language and literature/letters 66.9 65.9 68.6 2Communication, journalism, and related programs 60.8 58.8 63.4 4

Biological and biomedical sciences 50.8 52.6 61.5 8

Visual and performing arts 62.6 59.2 61.4 2

Social sciences and history 45.1 47.9 50.0 2

Business 47.2 48.6 49.8 1

Agriculture and natural resources 32.7 36.8 47.7 10

Mathematics and statistics 47.3 46.1 45.1 -1

Physical sciences and science technologies 31.6 36.0 41.8 5

Computer and information sciences and support services 29.4 27.5 20.6 -7Engineering and engineering technologies 14.1 16.2 17.9 1
Page 16 | The Condition of Education 2008 in Brief

Indicator 15Teacher Turnover

At the end of 2003–04, some 17 percent of the elementary anteachers) left the public and private schools where they had beedue to transferring to a different school (8 percent of the teacher of the teacher workforce) was due to teachers who left teachinpercent), returned to school for further education (0.3 percent)percent), and left for miscellaneous “other”1 reasons (1 percen

for high-poverty public schools was greater than for low-pove

Teacher turnover is higher in high-poverty than in low-po

Contexts of Elem

# Rounds to zero.! Interpret data with caution (estimates are unstable).1 Leavers in this category left teaching for a variety of personal 

reasons.

2 Schools were considered high poverty if 75 percent or more 

of their students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, and low poverty if less than 15 percent were eligible. Poverty differences in private schools are not examined because a large proportion of private schools do not participate in the free or reduced-price lunch program. Public schools for which data are missing or that do not participate in the program were excluded.NOTE: Figure created from unrounded data. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), “Public School Data File,” 2003–04, and Teacher Follow-up Survey (TFS), “Current Teacher Data File” and “Former Teacher Data File,” 2004–05.

TEACHER TURNOVER: Percentage of 2003–04 public K–12 teachers whschool year, by poverty level of school and the reason teachers left

Percent

# #

0 5 10 15 

High-poverty

Low-poverty

Le

Leavers

11 2 3 

6 3 4 1!

Transferred toanother school

Retired Took

other job

Pursued educatio
The 

Contexts of Elementary and Secondary Education The ratio of students to teachers, which is sometimes used as a proxy measure for class size, declined btween 1990 and 2005 from 17.6 to 16.1 students per teacher for all regular1 schools. During this perio

the student/teacher ratio for regular public elementary schools declined (from 18.2 to 15.8), with most the decline occurring after 1996. In contrast, student/teacher ratios for all regular public secondary schooincreased between 1990 and 1996 (from 16.7 to 17.6) and then declined to 16.8 in 2005. From 1990 throu2005, the ratios tended to be higher in public schools with larger enrollments than in those with smallenrollments. For example, in 2005, regular secondary schools with 1,500 students or more enrolled 6more students per teacher, on average, than regular secondary schools with enrollments under 300.

Student/teacher ratios tend to be higher in public schools with larger enrollments than in public schools with smaller enrollments.

STUDENT/TEACHER RATIO: Student/teacher ratios in regular public elementary and secondary schools, by school levand enrollment: Fall 1990–2005

05

10152025

1990 1996 1992 2002 2005 1994 1998 2000 1998 1990 1996 1992 2002 2005 1994 2000

Studentsper teacher Elementary Secondary

Year

Enrollment1,500 or more 1,000–1,499500–999 300–499Under 300 
Page 18 | The Condition of Education 2008 in Brief

Indicator 17Changes in Sources of Public School Revenue 

Total elementary and secondary public school revenues increased to 2004–05. Federal and state revenues increased at a faster rarevenue and other local revenue). Federal revenue increased 54 percent for state revenue and 45 percent for local revenuerevenue for public elementary and secondary education from lowhile the percentage of total revenue fl owing to public schools percent). The percentage from state sources was the same in 1Federal, state, and local revenues all increased from 1989–

Contexts of Elem

NOTE: Other local government revenue includes revenue from such sources as local nonproperty taxes, investments, and revenue from student activities, textbook sales, transportation and tuition fees, and food services. Property tax revenue and other local government revenues were imputed for Texas for 1992–93. Estimates are revised from previous publications.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center of Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), “National Public Education Financial Survey,” 1989–90 to 2004–05.

REVENUES BY SOURCE: Total revenue for public elementary and sec1989–90 to 2004–05

Total revenue

[Billions of constant 2006–07 dollars]

 School year

0

100200300400500

$600

1989–90 1991–92 1993–94 1995–96 1997–98 1999–2000 
The 

Contexts of Elementary and Secondary Education Current expenditures per student1 in public elementary and secondary schools vary by the level of poverty in 

district. In 2004–05, current expenditures per student, including instructional, administrative, and operation anmaintenance expenditures, were highest in high-poverty districts ($9,892), next highest in low-poverty distric($9,263), and lowest in middle-poverty districts ($8,536).2 Between 1997–98 and 2004–05, current expend

tures per student increased by 20 percent in constant dollars, from $7,602 to $9,094. Current expenditurper student increased the most for the high-poverty districts (26 percent), and the least for the middle-poverdistricts (16 percent). Expenditures in the other three categories increased between 18 and 20 percent.

Current expenditures per student in 2004–05 were highest in high-poverty school districts and next highest in low-poverty school districts.

CURRENT EXPENDITURES PER STUDENT: Public school district geographic cost-adjusted expenditures per student, bdistrict poverty category: Various school years, 1997–98 to 2004–05

Expenditures per student [In constant 2006–07 dollars]

Middle low

MiddleMiddle highLow

District poverty category

High

8,0007,0009,000

0

$10,000

School year

1997–98 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05
Page 20 | The Condition of Education 2008 in Brief

Indicator 19Undergraduate Fields of Study

In 1995–96 and 2005–06, between 63 and 66 percent of bachbusiness; social sciences and history; education; health professiand engineering. In 2005–06, some 318,000 degrees were awand history, 107,000 in health professions, and between 81,6four fi elds. Overall, 320,000 more bachelor’s degrees were apercent increase). Increases in the number of bachelor’s degrehistory; visual and performing arts; communication, journalisinformation sciences made up 66 percent of this overall growtIn 2005–06, degrees in the fi eld of business made up 21 peOver 318,000 bachelor’s degrees were awarded in busines

Con

NOTE: The six most common fi elds of study at the bachelor’s degree level in academic year 2005–06 are featured for academic years 1995–96 and 2005–06; the remaining fi elds of study are not shown. The contribution of growth is calculated as the increase in the number of degrees for a particular fi eld divided by the increase in the total number of degrees. The new Classifi cation of Instructional Programs was initiated in 2002–03. Estimates for earlier years have been reclassifi ed when necessary to conform to the new taxonomy. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Digest of Education Statistics, 2007 (NCES 2008-022), tables 259 and 261, data from U.S. Department of Education, NCES, 1995–96 and 2005–06 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, “Completions Survey” (IPEDS-C:96), and Fall 2006.

FIELDS OF STUDY: Number of bachelor’s degrees awarded by degreeAcademic years 1995–96 and 2005–06

Field of study

Number of bachelor’s d

0 100,000 200,00

Business

Social sciences

and history

Education

Health professions and

related clinical sciences

Psychology

Visual and

performing arts
The 

Contexts of Postsecondary Education

Average infl ation-adjusted salaries for full-time instructional faculty in colleges and universities we20 percent higher in 2006–07 than in 1979–80; however, recent increases have been relatively smal

Along with increases in average salaries for full-time instructional faculty in colleges and universities betwe1979–80 and 2006–07, average salaries rose for faculty with academic ranks.1 The increase was greatest for i

structors, whose average salary increased by 38 percent, followed by professors, whose average salary increasby 26 percent. The average salary also increased at all types of institutions, ranging from 8 percent at public 2-yecolleges to 37 percent at private doctoral universities. However, after increasing by 14 percent during the 198and 4 percent during the 1990s, average faculty salaries increased by 1 percent between 1999–2000 and 2006–0Fringe benefi ts for faculty have increased by a higher percentage than salaries since 1979–80 (69 vs. 20 percen

FACULTY SALARIES: Percentage change in total compensation, average salary, and fringe benefi ts, and in average salarby academic rank and type of institution for full-time instructional faculty at degree-granting institutions (adjustefor infl ation): Academic years 1979–80 to 2006–07

-20 0 20 40 60 80 100 0 20

Percent change Percent change

40 60 80 100

No rank

Lecturer

Instructor

Assistant professor

Associate professor

Professor

Fringe benefits

Average salary

Total compensation2 23 28

20

69

26

20

24

38

16

#

37

10

19

2727

8

17 Private 2-year colleges

Public 2-year

colleges

Private other 4-year

colleges

Public other 4-year

colleges

Private master’s

colleges/universities

Public master’s

colleges/universities

Private doctoral

universities

Public doctoral

universities

Average salary byacademic rank

Average salary bytype of institution3
Page 22 | The Condition of Education 2008 in Brief

Indicator 21Employment of College Students

Between 1970 and 2000, the percentage of full-time college studefrom 34 to 52 percent, and between 2001 and 2006, the perceIn addition, the number of hours these students worked per wsome 10 percent of full-time students worked 20–34 hours phours per week; in 2006, however, about 22 percent of these s8 percent worked 35 or more hours per week. Between 2001 ain the percentages of full-time students working 20 or more hIn 2006, about 46 percent of full-time college students age

Con

NOTE: College includes both 2- and 4-year institutions. College students were classifi ed as attending full time if they were taking at least 12 hours of classes (or at least 9 hours of graduate classes) during an average school week and were classifi ed as part time if they were taking fewer hours. Percent employed estimates include those who were employed but not at work during the survey week. Hours worked per week refers to the 

number of hours the respondent worked at all jobs during the survey week.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), October Supplement, 1970–2006.

EMPLOYMENT OF COLLEGE STUDENTS: Percentage of 16- to 24-year-olby hours worked per week: October 1970 through October 2006

Year

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 

0

1530456075

Percent

35 or more hours Less than 20 hours Total employed20–34 hours 
The 

List of Indicators on The Condition of EducaThis List of Indicators includes all the indicators that appea(http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe), drawn from the 2000–2008 p

over the years, the same indicator appearing in multiple years The list is or ga nized fi rst by section and then by subject area. Twhich the indicators were published are not sequential.

Special Analyses

 Entering Kindergarten: A Portrait of American Children When They Begin School ... Students Whose Parents Did Not Go to College: Postsecondary Access, Persistence, a Private Schools: A Brief Portrait ................................................................................... Nontraditional Undergraduates .................................................................................. Reading—Young Children’s Achievement and Classroom Experiences ................... Paying for College: Changes Between 1990 and 2000 for Full-Time Dependent Und Mobility in the Teacher Workforce ............................................................................... U.S. Student and Adult Performance on International Assessments of Educational A High School Coursetaking ............................................................................................ Community Colleges ...................................................................................................

Section 1—Participation in Education

 Enrollment Trends by Age ............................................................................................ Early Education and Child Care Arrangements of Young Children .............................. Trends in Full- and Half-Day Kindergarten .................................................................. Past and Projected Public School Enrollments ............................................................ Trends in Private School Enrollments ........................................................................... Homeschooled Students ............................................................................................. Racial/Ethnic Distribution of Public School Students ................................................. Family Characteristics of 5- to 17-Year-Olds .............................................................. Language Minority School-Age Children ................................................................... Children and Youth With Disabilities in Public Schools ...............................................
Page 24 | The Condition of Education 2008 in Brief

List of Indicators on The Condition of Education Website (2000–2008)—Continued

Indicator–Y

 Past and Projected Undergraduate Enrollments ...........................................................................................................................................................9–2 Mobility of College Students .......................................................................................................................................................................................10–2 Trends in Graduate and First-Professional Enrollments .............................................................................................................................................11–2 Participation in Adult Education ..................................................................................................................................................................................10–2

Section 2—Learner Outcomes

 Students’ Reading and Mathematics Achievement Through 3rd Grade ......................................................................................................................8–2 Children’s Skills and Profi ciency in Reading and Mathematics Through Grade 3 ........................................................................................................8–2 Reading Performance of Students in Grades 4, 8, and 12 ...........................................................................................................................................12–2 Mathematics Performance of Students in Grades 4 and 8 .........................................................................................................................................13–2 Writing Performance of Students in Grades 8 and 12 ................................................................................................................................................14–2 Economics Performance of Students in Grade 12 .......................................................................................................................................................15–2 Trends in the Achievement Gaps in Reading and Mathematics .................................................................................................................................16–2 International Comparison of 4th- and 8th-Grade Performance in Mathematics ......................................................................................................11–2 Poverty and Student Mathematics Achievement .......................................................................................................................................................15–2 Reading and Mathematics Score Trends by Age .........................................................................................................................................................17–2 Reading and Mathematics Achievement at 5th Grade ...............................................................................................................................................16–2 Student Reading and Mathematics Performance in Public Schools by Urbanicity ...................................................................................................14–2 International Comparisons of Reading Literacy in Grade 4 .........................................................................................................................................18–2 International Comparisons of Mathematics Literacy ..................................................................................................................................................17–2 International Comparisons of Mathematics Cognitive Domains of 4th- and 8th-Graders ........................................................................................17–2 International Comparisons of Science Literacy............................................................................................................................................................19–2 Science Performance of Students in Grades 4, 8, and 12 ............................................................................................................................................13–2 International Comparison of 4th- and 8th-Grade Performance in Science................................................................................................................12–2 U.S. History Performance of Students in Grades 4, 8, and 12 .....................................................................................................................................14–2 Geography Performance of Students in Grades 4, 8, and 12 ......................................................................................................................................13–2 Trends in Adult Literacy................................................................................................................................................................................................18–2 Trends in Adult Literary Reading Habits ......................................................................................................................................................................15–2 Adult Reading Habits ...................................................................................................................................................................................................20–2
The 

List of Indicators on The Condition of Education Website (2000–2

 Education and Health .................................................................................................. Youth Neither in School nor Working .......................................................................... Annual Earnings of Young Adults ................................................................................ Employment Outcomes of Young Adults by Race/Ethnicity .......................................

Section 3—Student Effort and Educational Progress

 Time Spent on Homework ........................................................................................... Student Preparedness .................................................................................................. Postsecondary Expectations of 12th-Graders ............................................................ Student Absenteeism .................................................................................................. Grade Retention ........................................................................................................... Public High School Graduation Rates by State ........................................................... Students With Disabilities Exiting School With a Regular High School Diploma ....... Event Dropout Rates by Family Income, 1972–2001 .................................................. Status Dropout Rates by Race/Ethnicity ..................................................................... High School Sophomores Who Left Without Graduating Within 2 Years ................... Immediate Transition to College .................................................................................. International Comparison of Transition to Postsecondary Education.......................... Remediation and Degree Completion ......................................................................... Transfers From Community Colleges to 4-Year Institutions ........................................ Institutional Retention and Student Persistence at 4-Year Institutions ..................... Trends in Undergraduate Persistence and Completion ............................................... Postsecondary Participation and Attainment Among Traditional-Age Students ...... Educational Attainment .............................................................................................. Degrees Earned ............................................................................................................ Degrees Earned by Women ......................................................................................... Time to Bachelor’s Degree Completion........................................................................ Postsecondary Attainment of 1988 8th-Graders ....................................................... Advanced Degree Completion Among Bachelor’s Degree Recipients ........................ Persistence and Attainment of Students With Pell Grants ..........................................
Page 26 | The Condition of Education 2008 in Brief

Section 4—Contexts of Elementary and Secondary Education

 Size of High Schools ....................................................................................................................................................................................................30–2 Student Perceptions of Their School’s Social and Learning Environment ..................................................................................................................29–2 Parents’ Attitudes Toward Schools ...............................................................................................................................................................................38–2 Rates of School Crime .................................................................................................................................................................................................36–2 School Violence and Safety .........................................................................................................................................................................................28–2 Poverty Concentration in Public Schools by Locale and Race/Ethnicity .....................................................................................................................29–2 Concentration of Public School Enrollment by Locale and Race/Ethnicity ................................................................................................................30–2 Characteristics of School Principals .............................................................................................................................................................................34–2 Characteristics of Full-Time School Teachers ...............................................................................................................................................................33–2 Beginning Teachers ......................................................................................................................................................................................................29–2 Elementary/Secondary School Teaching Among Recent College Graduates ............................................................................................................37–2 Teacher Turnover ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................31–2 Public School Staff .......................................................................................................................................................................................................32–2 Student Support Staff in Public Schools ......................................................................................................................................................................35–2 High School Guidance Counseling ..............................................................................................................................................................................27–2 Early Development of Children ....................................................................................................................................................................................35–2 Early Literacy Activities ...............................................................................................................................................................................................33–2 Care Arrangements for Children After School .............................................................................................................................................................33–2 Afterschool Activities ...................................................................................................................................................................................................29–2 Availability of Advanced Courses in High Schools ......................................................................................................................................................25–2 Student/Teacher Ratios in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools .....................................................................................................................33–2 Out-of-Field Teaching in Middle and High School Grades ..........................................................................................................................................28–2 Out-of-Field Teaching by Poverty Concentration and Minority Enrollment ..............................................................................................................24–2 Public Alternative Schools for At-Risk Students .........................................................................................................................................................27–2 Inclusion of Students With Disabilities in General Classrooms ..................................................................................................................................31–2 Charter Schools ............................................................................................................................................................................................................32–2 Parental Choice of Schools ...........................................................................................................................................................................................36–2 Profi le and Demographic Characteristics of Public Charter Schools ..........................................................................................................................28–2

List of Indicators on The Condition of Education Website (2000–2008)—Continued

Indicator–Y
The 

 Changes in Sources of Public School Revenue ............................................................ Public Elementary and Secondary Expenditures by Type and Function .................... Variations in Instruction Expenditures per Student ..................................................... Public Elementary and Secondary Expenditures by District Poverty ......................... Public Elementary and Secondary Expenditures by District Location ....................... Public Effort to Fund Elementary and Secondary Education ..................................... International Comparisons of Expenditures for Education .........................................

Section 5—Contexts of Postsecondary Education

 Minority Student Enrollments ..................................................................................... Undergraduate Fields of Study ................................................................................... Graduate Fields of Study ............................................................................................. Degrees Conferred by Public and Private Institutions ................................................ Top 30 Postsecondary Courses .................................................................................... International Comparisons of Degrees by Field ........................................................... Remedial Coursetaking ............................................................................................... Instructional Faculty and Staff Who Teach Undergraduates ....................................... Distance Education by Postsecondary Faculty ............................................................ Distance Education at Postsecondary Institutions ...................................................... Services and Accommodations for Students With Disabilities .................................. Faculty Salary, Benefi ts, and Total Compensation ....................................................... Electronic Services in Academic Libraries.................................................................... State Transfer and Articulation Policies ........................................................................ Institutional Aid at 4-Year Colleges and Universities .................................................. Total and Net Access Price of Attending a Postsecondary Institution ........................ Total and Net Access Price for Graduate and First-Professional Students................... Debt Burden of College Graduates .............................................................................. Employment of College Students ................................................................................ Federal Grants and Loans to Undergraduate Students ............................................... Public Effort to Fund Postsecondary Education ..........................................................

List of Indicators on The Condition of Education Website (2000–2