Things are changing in education – but overall secondary school student achievement has not been one of them. Since the 1970s the achievement levels of 17-year-olds in both reading and math has not measurably changed, according to data from the long-term trend National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which was recently presented in the 2009 edition of The Condition of Education, available here.
A peek into the data however reveals that average reading and math scores for 9- and 13-year-olds were higher in 2008 than in the 1970s on the long-term NAEP, likely indicating that progress has indeed been made.
The Condition of Education is a congressionally-mandated report that provides an annual portrait of education in the United States. The 46 indicators included in the 2009 edition cover all aspects of education, from early childhood through postsecondary education and from student achievement to school environment and resources.
Among the more stunning takeaways from this years’ report was the growing diversity of America’s public school student population.
Between 1972 and 2007, the percentage of White public school students decreased from 78% to 56%. The main factor behind this change was a dramatic increase in the Hispanic student population, which nearly tripled from 6% in 1972 to 21% in 2007. Notably, the vast majority of this change occurred in the Western United States; however the population shift has affected all parts of the U.S. to some degree.
The percentage of students identified as Asian, Hawaiian, American Indian, or two or more races also made a small, but dramatic increase from 1% to 8% over this same period.
The Black student population in 2007 actually saw a 2% decrease to 15%; placing it at its 1972 level.
In a similarly small shift, the overall high school dropout rate for 16 to 24-year-olds decreased by only about 1 or 2% since 1994. However, the Hispanic dropout rate decreased from about 30% in 1994 to a little over 20% in 2007.
While this rate remains by far the highest amongst Blacks, Whites, and Hispanics, it also represents the greatest decrease over this timeframe.
The full report can be found at http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2009081.