More Resources Report Shows U.S. High School Students Challenged by Math & Science Condition of Education 2006

The U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) today released The Condition of Education 2006 report. Secretary Margaret Spellings issued the following statement:

This report mirrors recent NAEP results that show our high school students are losing ground when it comes to academic achievement, graduating without the skills they need for the workforce or college.

Thanks in part to No Child Left Behind and the hard work of our teachers and educators, we've seen remarkable gains in the early grades with math scores at all time highs and more reading progress made among 9 year olds in the last five years than the previous 28 combined. However, our high schools remain static – with less than half of all graduates prepared for college-level math and science coursework.

The President's High School Reform Initiative would extend the principles of No Child Left Behind and hold high schools accountable for providing high-quality education to all students. In addition, our American Competitiveness Initiative will work to increase academic rigor and improve math and science education so that our students are graduating properly equipped to compete and thrive in the new global economy.

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