A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

Turning the Corner: Positive Trends in Education

While it is true that U.S. education needs improving, that does not mean that the news is all bad. Indeed, the nation has turned the corner on many measures. Areas of improvement include coursetaking, achievement test scores, dropout rates, and postsecondary enrollment and attainment. The economic returns to further education are equally impressive.

Coursetaking has Improved Significantly

The proportion of high school graduates taking the core courses recommended in A NATION AT RISK (4 years of English, 3 years of social studies, 3 years of science, 3 years of math) had increased to 40 percent, up from 13 percent in 1982.
Participation in advanced placement (AP) has increased dramatically since 1982, rising from 140,000 to 450,000 high school students. Especially impressive is the growth in participation of minority students; in 1994, 26 percent of AP candidates were minority students, compared to 11 percent in 1982.

Student Achievement is Up

Student performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has increased in science, math, and reading, recovering most of the ground lost in the 1970's. The gap in performance between white and minority students has been narrowing.
Both minority participation and performance on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (now the Student Assessment Test, or SAT) have increased. Minority students as a percent of all test-takers increased from 18 to 31 percent between 1982 and 1994. Math and verbal scores increased across almost all race/ethnic groups from 1982 to 1994.

Dropout Rates have Declined

Overall, the dropout rate for 16- to 24-year olds declined from 14 percent in 1982 to 11 percent in 1993.
Dropout rates declined between 1982 and 1993 by 4 percentage points for whites and 5 percentage points for blacks (although dropout rates for Hispanics remain high and are not declining).

Postsecondary Enrollment and Attainment have Increased

Over the past decade, enrollment in postsecondary institutions has grown steadily.
The proportion of people ages 25 and over who have completed four or more years of college increased from 18 percent in 1982 to 22 percent in 1993.

Returns to Education

Workers with bachelor's degrees earn on average almost $14,000 more a year than workers with high school diplomas. Workers with associate degrees earn almost twice as much annually as workers who did not finish high school.