This year's annual progress report on education, "The Condition of Education 2002," highlights findings such as the mixed results in student performance on state, national and international assessments over the past decade; the significant disparity in student performance between schools with low- and high-poverty populations; and the changing racial and ethnic composition of public school students as the percentage of minority students continues to grow. In one of two special analyses, the report also focuses on the experience of "nontraditional" college students, who are actually the majority of college students today.

The congressionally mandated report was released today by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and presents 44 indicators on the conditions and trends in elementary, secondary and postsecondary education.

Deputy Commissioner of Education Statistics Gary W. Phillips noted, "Together this comprehensive collection of education measures quantify our progress and problems and provide direction for future study and actions."

Drawing together data from NCES's wide range of education surveys and other governmental surveys, this year's report includes findings such as:

Student mathematics performance outpaces performance in science:

• According to data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), eighth-graders' performance in mathematics increased over the past decade, but in science it has remained the same since 1996. This year's report also reveals that among the 36 states and other jurisdictions whose students took the state NAEP (a component of NAEP that allows between-state comparisons to be made for participating states' student scores), significant improvement in mathematics occurred in 27 states and jurisdictions, and none experienced declines in average scores. In contrast, in science, only three states demonstrated improvement.

Poor students being left behind:

• According to the report's analyses of NAEP data, fourth-graders in high-poverty schools had disturbingly lower achievement scores in mathematics in 2000 than their peers in low-poverty schools. The average score of students in high-poverty schools (207 points) was in the bottom third of all students' scores. The average score of students in low-poverty schools (243 points) was at the top third of all students' scores.
• The report also presents data that suggest differences in the turnover rates of teachers in low- and high-poverty schools. One or more teachers left before the end of the school year in 35 percent of the high-poverty schools participating in the NAEP fourth grade mathematics assessment, compared to six percent in low-poverty schools.
• Children in poverty are concentrated in urban areas. The report's analyses show that 34 percent of all school-age children in major Northeastern central cities lived in poverty in 1997.

Demographic changes and preschool trends alter enrollment patterns:

• High school enrollments are poised to grow from 13.8 million in 2002 to 14.6 million in 2007 as the "baby boom echo" graduates move from elementary to secondary schools.
• The percentage of minority students in U.S. public schools has grown from 22 percent in 1972 to 39 percent in 2000. Nearly half of all students in the West and South are minorities, and in the West, almost one-third are Hispanic.
• More than half of 3-5 year olds are now enrolled in early childhood education (center-based) programs, according to NCES's National Household Education Surveys.

Student interest and attendance are flagging:

• Twelfth-graders have reported a declining interest in school over the past two decades in response to questions about how meaningful they find schoolwork, how interesting they find their courses, and the importance of education later in life.
• Using attendance data from spring 2000, more than half of students in eighth, 10th and 12th grades missed one or more days of school in a four-week period. About 15 percent of eighth- and tenth-graders missed five or more school days during this four-week period, or a quarter of all school days. Analyses further revealed that, while students may be absent from school for different reasons, skipping school is frequent and is more prevalent the higher the grade.

The traditional undergraduate student is the exception today:

• Only 27 percent of college students fit the "traditional" profile of a college student: a high school graduate who has gone directly from high school to college, who attends school full-time and does not hold down a full-time job, who is financially dependent on his or her family and who has no spouse or other dependents. Analysis of NCES's National Postsecondary Student Aid Study reveals that almost three quarters of undergraduate students are in some way non-traditional.
• Non-traditional students seeking bachelor's and associate's degrees are also less likely to attain their degree goal within five years and more likely to leave postsecondary education than traditional students.

"The Condition of Education is a useful tool that provides authoritative indicators of how well we are doing as a nation in education," Secretary Paige said. "Many of the findings suggest to me that we have much work to do if we're to improve our schools so ALL our children receive a quality education. Most troubling is the finding that shows the achievement gaps between white and minority students in both high- and low-poverty schools remains. President Bush and I are committed to closing this gap and to leaving no child behind."

"With the No Child Left Behind Act, we'll make sure our students are able to reach high standards; our teachers are well prepared; our states have the resources and flexibility to use funds to achieve their priorities; and that parents are empowered with information and more choices for their children."

Paige also noted that the report shows a reduction in poverty rates and an increase in spending during the 1990s have not led to improved student performance in reading — the foundation of all learning — suggesting that "providing more money isn't the only answer to improving our schools."

Between 1992 and 2000, the percentage of school-aged children living in poverty decreased from 20 percent to 16 percent and spending on K-12 education increased, in constant dollars, from $5,822 to $6,619, while reading scores on the NAEP remained flat.

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