Secondary Education Research

AP Report to the Nation
The College Board’s fourth annual report highlighting Advanced Placement (AP) results across the nation shows that more than 15 percent of students in the 2007 graduating class scored a 3 or higher on at least one AP exam, up from 12 percent in 2002. The report also includes results by state and race/ethnicity. (2/08)

Quality Counts 2008
Education Week’s latest annual report grades states in six categories: teacher policies; standards, assessments and accountability; school funding; K-12 achievement; school transition and alignment policies; and a child's chances for success in life. (2/08)

Rankings & Estimates: Rankings of the States 2006 and Estimates of School Statistics 2007
The National Education Association has released its 2006 rankings of the states and its estimates for 2007 school statistics. Part I of the report provides state-level data on an array of topics relevant to public education, including enrollment and attendance, faculty, and revenue and expenditures. Part II provides projections of public school enrollment, employment and compensation of personnel, and finances, as reported by individual state departments of education. (1/08)

Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2007
A joint effort by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics, this annual report examines crime occurring in school as well as on the way to and from school. It provides the most current detailed statistical information to inform the Nation on the nature of crime in schools. This report presents data on crime at school from the perspectives of students, teachers, principals, and the general population from an array of sources. (1/08)

Projections of Education Statistics to 2016
This annual publication from the National Center for Education Statistics provides projections for key education statistics, including enrollment, graduates, teachers, and expenditures in elementary and secondary schools; and enrollment, earned degrees conferred, and current-fund expenditures of degree-granting institutions. (1/08)

Mathematics Coursetaking and Achievement at the End of High School: Evidence from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002)
This report from the National Center for Education Statistics documents and examines the relationship between the number and types of math courses taken in the 11th and 12th grade and growth in mathematics proficiency over the same time period. The analysis identifies the coursetaking sequences most prevalent among contemporary high school students in their junior and senior years, sociodemographic characteristics of the students who follow these course sequences, and the association between specific courses and course sequences and mathematics gains over the last two years of high school. (1/08)

Aligning High School Graduation Requirements with the Real World: A Road Map for States
Recognizing that the standards students have to meet in the "real world" have become more demanding, a growing number of states are taking action to increase the requirements for earning a high school diploma. A policy brief from Achieve captures lessons learned by states that have put higher requirements in place. (1/08)

Numbers and Rates of Public High School Dropouts: School Year 2004-05
A National Center for Education Statistics’ report presents findings on the numbers and rates of public school students who dropped out of school in school years 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05. The report includes high school dropout rates by state, region, school district size, and several student characteristics. (12/07)

Approaches to Dropout Prevention: Heeding Early Warning Signs With Appropriate Interventions
The National High School Center outlines steps that schools can take to identify at-risk students and provide the necessary support systems and relevant interventions to assist them in obtaining a high school diploma. The report discusses the use of early warning data systems to target interventions for groups and individual students, offers a variety of best practice approaches undertaken by higher-performing high schools and presents effective programs that are currently being implemented. (12/07)

Achievement and Behavior in Charter Schools: Drawing a More Complete Picture
The National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education has released a report examining longitudinal data from an anonymous large urban school district to assess how charter schools affect student discipline, attendance and retention, and to compare these findings to test score impacts. (10/07)

The Progress of Education Reform 2007: Dropout Prevention
A recent edition of Education Commission of the States’ (ECS) Progress of Education Reform summarizes the findings of five recent studies on dropout prevention. The studies focus on: 1) early predictors for dropping out of school; 2) ninth-grade predictors of risk in an urban environment; 3) school characteristics linked to higher graduation rates; 4) economic benefits of several programs that positively influence high school completion rates; and 5) a synthesis of the research on dropping out and the importance of state data systems to support dropout prevention efforts. (9/07)

State Education Indicators with a Focus on Title I: 2003-04
A new report from the U.S. Department of Education presents state-level accountability data. Each state has a two-page profile that presents data in seven categories: districts and schools, finances, students, staff, outcomes, statewide accountability information, and student achievement. In addition to providing individual state profiles, the report also includes national summary information. (9/07)

Education After Katrina: Time for a New Federal Response
A report from the Southern Education Foundation examines the educational challenges faced as a result of the 2005 hurricanes, both in the Gulf Coast and nationwide, and argues for a strengthened federal response. The report examines declining student enrollments and lost school time among K-12 and college students, as well as the severe impact of the storms on regional child care systems. (9/07)

Status of Education in Rural America 
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) presents a series of indicators on the status of education in rural America as compared to that in urban and suburban areas, including expenditures per student, NAEP scores, drop out rates, and teacher salaries and satisfaction. The report uses the new NCES locale classification system, which classifies the locale of schools and school districts into one of 12 categories based on their actual geographic coordinates. The system distinguishes between rural areas that are on the fringe of an urban area, rural areas that are at some distance and rural areas that are remote. On most indicators, rural schools score better than urban schools but worse than suburban schools. (8/07) 

Public Elementary and Secondary School Student Enrollment, High School Completions, and Staff from the Common Core of Data: School Year 2005–06 
The National Center for Education Statistics summarizes the numbers of students enrolled in public elementary/secondary education by grade; the number of diplomas and other completion credentials awarded for the 2004–05 school year; the averaged freshman graduation rate for the 2004–05 school year; pupil/teacher ratios; and the number of teaching, administrative and support staff employed in public education. The information is presented by state and for the United States as a whole. (7/07)

Numbers and Types of Public Elementary and Secondary Education Agencies from the Common Core of Data: School Year 2005–06
The National Center for Education Statistics presents national and state-level data about the number of regular school districts and other local education agencies; school district size; grades served; and the number of school districts in city, suburban, town, and rural locales. (7/07)

Back to School: 2007–2008
An installment of Facts for Features from the U.S. Census Bureau highlights many statistics related to the return to school by our nation’s students. The data presented cover a variety of topics including Pre–K through 12 and college enrollment, number of public elementary and secondary schools and degree-granting postsecondary institutions, availability and use of technology, college prices and financial aid, number of diplomas and college degrees awarded, and earnings by educational attainment. (7/07)

The Learning Compact Redefined: A Call to Action
The Commission on the Whole Child calls for increased attention to the conditions that are essential to learning. The authors argue that current educational practice and policy focuses overwhelmingly on academic achievement, a necessary but insufficient element of student learning and development, and only a part of any complete system of educational accountability. (6/07)

Key State Education Policies on PK–12 Education: 2006
The Council of Chief State School Officers examines policies on time and attendance, early childhood education, graduation requirements, state content standards, teacher preparation and licensure, school leader/administrator licensure, and student assessment.  The report presents policy information for the 50 states and the District of Columbia as of Fall 2006. (5/07)

State Education Reforms (SER)
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has updated its website on state education reforms. The SER website compiles and disseminates data on state-level education reform efforts in four areas: 1) standards, assessment, and accountability; 2) school finance reforms; 3) resources for learning; and 4) state support for school choice options.  Two new tables on exit exams have been added to the Standards, Assessment, and Accountability area and three new tables on longitudinal data systems, school exit exams, and kindergarten policies have been added to Resources for Learning area. (5/07)

Career/Technical Education Statistics (CTES)
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has expanded and renamed its Data on Vocational Education (DOVE) website. The website is now called Career/Technical Education Statistics (CTES), and includes a new section of "CTES Tables on the Web." Based on analyses of NCES datasets, this section provides summary data tables that describe career/technical education at the secondary and postsecondary levels and adult education for work. (4/07)

Career and Technical Education: Best Practices and Programs
The Association for Career and Technical Education has launched a Web site highlighting innovative programs and creative teaching found in career and technical education across the country at community colleges, high schools and career centers. The Web site is designed to show how a variety of schools and institutions have found creative solutions to their problems and to spark ideas that can be adapted to other settings. (4/07)

Leaders and Laggards: A State-by-State Report Card on Educational Effectiveness
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has released a state-by-state report rating educational effectiveness. The report examines nine categories, including academic achievement of low-income and minority students, return on investment, rigor of standards and data quality. (3/07)

Research Studies Database
The Education Commission of the States’ (ECS) High School Policy Center has launched an online research database that provides concise summaries of research studies related to student success in high school and college. The database currently has only 12 studies, including several directly related to counseling, but the database will expand in the coming months. (2/07)

Tough Choices or Tough Times: The Report of the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce
The National Center on Education and the Economy argues that many other nations are passing the United States in the quality of their education systems. The report proposes a restructuring of educational priorities that will have a major impact on all levels of education, from preschool to college and beyond. (1/07)

Making Sense of Data-Driven Decision Making in Education
The RAND Corporation’s occasional paper series discusses data-driven decision making policies and practices.  The paper clarifies how data are being used in schools and districts, identifies factors that support or hinder data-driven decision making, and suggests future research in the field. (12/06)

Crime, Violence, Discipline and Safety in U.S. Public Schools: Findings from the School Survey on Crime and Safety: 2003-04
A report from the National Center for Education Statistics presents national-level information about crime and safety in U.S. public schools as reported by school principals, including the frequency of criminal incidents at school, the use of disciplinary actions, and efforts to prevent and reduce crime at school. Eighteen percent of public schools reported at least one serious violent incident during the 2003–04 school year; two percent of public schools reported hate crimes; and five percent of public schools reported gang-related crimes. (12/06)

Lost Learning, Forgotten Promises: A National Analysis of School Racial Integration, Student Achievement, and “Controlled Choice” Plans
A report from the Center for American Progress considers the educational consequences of the considerable racial segregation that remains in schools today and the potential of controlled choice to address them.  Using test score information required by the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, the study analyzes the effects of segregation in more than 22,000 schools across the country that enroll more than 18 million students.  The study finds that minorities in integrated schools learn more and perform better in both college attendance and employment. (12/06)

Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2006
This annual report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics and National Center for Education Statistics provides the most current detailed statistical information to inform the Nation on the nature of crime in schools.  It examines crime occurring in school as well as on the way to and from school and presents data on crime at school from the perspectives of students, teachers, principals, and the general population. (12/06)

Rankings of the States 2005 and Estimates of School Statistics 2006
The National Education Association’s latest annual Rankings and Estimates report compares states on a variety of statistics related to public education, including enrollment, student-teacher ratios, teacher salaries, and revenue and expenditures per student. (12/06)

Trends in the Use of School Choice: 1993 to 2003
A report from the National Center for Education Statistics presents trends that focus on the use of and users of public schools (assigned and chosen), private schools (church- and non church-related), and homeschoolers between 1993 and 2003. This report also presents data on parental perceptions of public school choice availability and associations between the public and private school types children were enrolled in and parental satisfaction with and involvement in the schools. (12/06)

Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools and Classrooms: 1994-2005
The National Center for Education Statistics presents 11 years of data from 1994 to 2005 (no survey was conducted in 2004) on Internet access in U.S. public schools by school characteristics. The report 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, 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 and teachers. It also provides information on teacher professional development on how to integrate the use of the Internet into the curriculum, and the use of the Internet to provide opportunities and information for teaching and learning. (12/06)

Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning:  A Review of State-Level Policy and Practice
In its third annual Keeping Pace report, the North American Council of Online Learning (NACOL) examines state-led online programs and state-level policies governing online education. (11/06)