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State of the Nation
-
Enrollment
Approximately 47 million children attend public elementary and
secondary schools. 5.9 million attend private schools. As many as
1.9 million children are home schooled.
There are roughly 92,012 public elementary and secondary schools
and 27,223 private elementary and secondary schools
-
Spending
Over the past 30 years, average per-pupil expenditures for K-12
have nearly doubled, from $3,367 in 1970 to $6,584 in 2000.
Total K-12 federal, state, and local spending for education,
both public and private, climbed to over $420 billion for the
2000-2001 school year.
- Class Size
In the 1999-2000 school year, the pupil/teacher ratio was 16 to 1.
The average class size was 22 students.
- Achievement and Class Size
-
Graduation
In 1998, 71 percent of students graduated on-time from high
school. Just over half of minority students graduated.
In 2000, 66 percent of adults with a diploma or GED aged 25-29
had some college experience. One-third had completed a bachelor's
degree or higher.
- International
American 8th graders ranked 19th out of 38 countries on the most
recent international mathematics comparison and 18th out of 38
countries in science.
On the TIMSS 1995 study, which tested 12th graders, American
students were ranked 19th out of 21 countries in both math and
science general knowledge.
Source: Ludger Woessman, "," Education Next,
Summer 2001, p. 69.
Federal
Legislation
- No Child Left Behind Act
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
- OERI
- Parental Choice Legislation
- Appropriations/Budget
Supreme Court
Decision
- Landmark case found the Cleveland voucher program
constitutional.
- 4,000 students, $2250 voucher to private or religious
schools.
- Neutral with respect to religion.
- Provides "genuine choice" to parents.
- Existing Parental Choice
38 states and the District of Columbia have enacted charter
school laws. As of fall 2001, more than 2,300 charter schools
nationwide were serving over half a million children
10 states have publicly sponsored private school choice
programs, from vouchers to tax credits.
- What This Means
Decision will give poor children in failing schools the option
to attend a quality school.
Open the system to competition and diversity.
Improve education for all children.
Resources