New Report Outlines State of Education   

Enrollments are continuing to grow at all levels of education, and coursetaking in advanced science and mathematics is increasing, yet gaps persist in education performance and participation, according to The Condition of Education 2001, a recent report by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

While U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige noted some positive trends documented in the report, he cautioned, "The Condition of Education tells us concretely that we are far from where we need to be in terms of student performance. We are failing to close the persistent achievement and attainment gaps-and we lag behind other developed nations in mathematics and science achievement."

Produced annually, The Condition of Education 2001 presents the latest figures on the health of American education around 59 indicators that survey enrollment, outcomes, factors affecting the quality of education, and parental and financial support.

A special feature in this edition is a message for students, parents and schools that rigorous academic course work in high school makes it much more likely that students whose parents never attended college will attend postsecondary institutions.

For the full NCES study, visit http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/ and key in publication number 2001072. A hard copy may be ordered at no charge by calling 1-877-4ED-PUBS (1-877-433-7827) with the identification number ERN3244P, while supplies last.

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Last updated—February 4, 2003 (pjh)