Education in States and Nations: 1991
The U.S. Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations seeks to facilitate the smooth management of affairs at the interstices of authority between separate branches and levels of government in the United States. Created by the U.S. Congress, the Commission includes members from both houses of that body, from the executive branch of the Federal government, and from among the state governors and legislators, city mayors, and county officials. The Commission publishes many reference documents, primarily in the area of law and public finance. Significant Features of Fiscal Federalism, 1993 covers 500 pages, with tables, in two volumes, one focusing on budget processes and tax systems and the other on revenues and expenditures. The periodic volumes of Significant Features document changes in government tax rates and revenue shifts in intergovernmental fiscal relationships, the types and costs of government services and which governments provide them, and the economic and demographic changes that affect government operations.
The study is based on national salary schedules and statistical salary data collected from foreign embassies in the United States, U.S. embassies abroad, teacher unions abroad, and foreign government education statistical agencies. Other sources include the World Confederation of the Organizations of Professional Teachers (WCOPT) studies of 1986 and 1991, the International Federation of Free Teachers Unions (IFFTU) 1991 study, and a 1988 report of teacher pay and working conditions in the European Community conducted by the Commission of the European Communities and the Netherlands Ministry of Education. Tables, figures, and text present comparative information for the United States and 18 other economically-advanced nations pertaining to teacher training, working conditions, and benefit structures; teacher salary structure; and teacher salary levels. Data for individual countries range from 1990 to 1992. For some indicators, absolute comparability of data is limited due to intercountry differences in definitions and classifications.
Survey and Analysis of Salary Trends, 1993
The American Federation of Teachers (AFT), a national teachers' union with a 1994 membership of 850,000, produces this survey annually. Data for the 1993 report were collected from state departments of education, other state, federal, and international agencies, and research organizations. Data include national average salaries or earnings for teachers, other school employees, government workers, and professional employees over the past 30 years. In many instances, these data are available by state for recent years. The first section of this report focuses on state comparisons. The second section highlights trends in national averages over the past two or three decades. The third section focuses on beginning teachers, with supplemental information on experienced teachers reentering the profession and teacher retirement. The fourth section presents a summary of results from AFT's newly released international teacher salary study, How U.S. Teachers Measure Up Internationally: A Comparative Study of Teacher Pay, Training, and Conditions of Service.
The Kids Count Data Book has been produced annually for the last four years by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a philanthropy devoted exclusively to disadvantaged children, and the Center for the Study of Social Policy, a nonprofit research and policy analysis organization. The publication compares state statistical trends between 1985 and 1990 based on ten indicators of socioeconomic status, health, and education for youth and adolescents. Background demographic information is given for the United States and for each state. International comparisons are also included for eight of the ten indicators. The report uses both government and private sources of data; reports produced by The Center for the Study of Social Policy provide much of the private data. The child poverty data from Kids Count that are used in this report are based on U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey, March, 1991.
This publication presents statistical and descriptive profiles of the education systems in 15 countries and territories located in the Asia Pacific region. Data are presented on population, school enrollment, number of schools, finance, the structure and governance of schools at each level of schooling, curriculum and standards, choice and decentralization, and current reform efforts. The countries and territories included are: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Republic of the Philippines, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, and the United States. Sources of information for the report include data provided by national ministries of education, publications of international organizations, reports produced by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Commerce, and works produced by private individuals. The data presented are meant to be used as general indicators of the condition of education in a nation or territory. Strict cross-national comparisons of precise numbers are discouraged due to the risk of incorrect assumptions and inconsistency across countries in their definitions of certain variables.
The decennial census includes two levels of data; one collected through a short form, and one through a long form. The short form questionnaire is referred to as the "100-percent questions," since it is distributed to the entire population. A representative sample of U.S. households receives a longer questionnaire which includes all the questions found on the short form plus additional sample questions. Data on educational attainment, enrollment, labor force status, and income - the Census information used in this report come - from the sample component of the 1990 census - the long form.
Public Use Microdata Samples (5 percent). The Public Use Microdata Samples (PUMS) are a compilation of records representing either 5 percent or 1 percent samples of the housing units in the U.S. and the persons inhabiting them. Data are reproduced directly from household surveys completed as part of the decennial Census conducted by the Bureau of the Census. The full Census long form sample component is based on questionnaires sent to approximately 15.9 percent of all housing units in the U.S. The 5 percent PUMS sample comprises, then, about a third of the long form respondents. Data in PUMS are broken down by individual household, and include a 231-character record for each housing unit and each person residing within the unit. All U.S. states, and various subdivisions of states with greater than 100,000 inhabitants, are represented in the 5 percent sample. The data used in PUMS are edited for confidentiality, limiting detail on place of residence, place of work, and high incomes.
Education in the United States. Produced in 1994 as part of the 1990 Census of Population series of reports, Education in the United States provides an overview of participation in education in the United States. Data on educational attainment, school enrollment, and earnings are presented, broken down by age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, and type of school. Both national and state-level data are included. Data presented in the report are based on responses to the long form of the 1990 U.S. Census.
Social and Economic Characteristics: United States. Three series of reports 1990 Census of Population, 1990 Census of Housing, and 1990 Census of Population and Housing - summarize the data collected during the 1990 U.S. census. Issued in 1993 as part of the 1990 Census of Population series, Social and Economic Characteristics: United States is a compilation of tables presenting data on employment, race, citizenship, age, sex, family composition, education, veteran status, and income for the United States. Data in the 189 tables are broken down by social and economic characteristics, as well as by geographic region, state, metropolitan area, urbanized area, and American Indian/Alaska area.
Current Population Survey
Current estimates of school enrollment and social and economic characteristics of students are based on data collected in the Census Bureau's monthly household survey of about 60,000 households, the CPS. The CPS covers 729 sample areas consisting of 1,973 counties, independent cities, and minor civil divisions throughout the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The current sample was selected from 1980 census files and is periodically updated to reflect new housing construction.
School Enrollment. Each October, the CPS includes supplemental questions on the enrollment status of the population aged 3 and older. Annual reports documenting school enrollment of the population have been produced by the Bureau of the Census since 1946. The pertinent reports for this work are Current Population Reports, Series P-20, Nos. 460 and 469, School Enrollment - Social and Economic Characteristics of Students: October 1990 and October 1991. All sample surveys are subject to sampling and nonsampling error. The main sources of nonsampling error in the supplement are those inherent in any household survey. When a household respondent reports for all individuals in the household, is that person knowledgeable about the grade or level of school, type of school, or full-time status? In addition, some analysts believe social acceptability of response causes biased reporting, such as reluctance to report lack of a high school diploma; some dismiss it. Household-reported data may not be consistent with administrative data because definitions may not be the same.
Statistical Abstract of the United States
First published in 1878, the Statistical Abstract of the United States is an annual publication containing statistics on finance, education, industry, health, and population for the United States. Current volumes also include a small section of international comparative statistics. Although they primarily present national data for the United States, each volume also contains some data at the state, regional, and metropolitan levels. Some of the data used in each publication are taken from the household survey information of the U.S. Census Bureau. Other data are provided predominantly by other divisions of the U.S. Department of Commerce and by other federal government agencies.
First produced in 1921, the Survey of Current Business is a monthly report of national economic measures. Included in the report are quarterly national income and product accounts tables, business cycle indicators, current business statistics, and summaries of the Bureau of Economic Analysis' (BEA) work pertaining to international, national, and regional economic accounts. Data for the publication are collected from the BEA or other government statistical agencies.
The Office of Productivity and Technology's unpublished tables entitled "Comparative Real Gross Domestic Product Per Capita and Per Employed Person" present national data for thirteen OECD countries and Korea. The tables provide comparisons based on purchasing power parities (PPPIs) and benchmarked to 1985 and 1990 studies. The studies were conducted jointly by the OECD and EUROSTAT (the Statistical Office of the European Community) as part of the United Nations International Comparison Project (UNICP). Information for each benchmarked year includes data for GDP, GDP per capita, and GDP employed per person, indexed to the U.S. and in U.S. dollars. PPPIs and relative prices are also given, with PPPIs for GDP and comparative price levels indexed to the U.S. The tables also present GDP trends, implicit price deflators for GDP, and population and employment measures.
International Indicators Project
The International Indicators Project was initiated in the late 1980s by the Center for Educational Research and Improvement (CERI) of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in response to the demand for comparative information on education in the OECD member nations. The project develops and reports on indicators of participation, attainment, and finance, learning outcomes, education and the labor market, the functioning of schools and school systems, and attitudes toward education. In 1992, CERI published the first edition of Education at a Glance, which contained 36 indicators. Updated and expanded editions were published in 1993 and 1995, and subsequentvolumes hereafter will be published on a regular basis.
The International Indicators Project relies on participating nations to report much of the data themselves. As the project is still in its early stages, some issues of uniformity of reporting procedures remain unresolved.
Facts at a Glance has been published annually since 1983 by Child Trends, Inc., a nonprofit organization specializing in demography and statistics on teen pregnancy. Drawing on both public and private sources of data, the report presents natality statistics for the United States at the national, state, and metropolitan levels. Data are broken down by geographic region, age, and race. The teen birth rate data from Facts at a Glance that are used in this report are based on U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Center for Health Statistics,Vital Statistics for the United States, 1990, Vol. 1, Natality.
This report is the third in a series tracking state educational standards since 1984-85. The report includes both a general summary of state-prescribed standards across the states and a more detailed description of standards in each of the 50 states for the 1989-90 school year. Changes in state mandates since 1984-85 are also documented. Individual state profiles present information on state standards for students (testing, high school graduation requirements, attendance and other policies); for teachers (teacher preparation, certification and licensing, and staff development); for schools and school districts (minimum length of the school year and school day and curriculum requirements); and for public school choice programs. Tables providing state-by-state comparisons across these topical areas are also included.
IAEP/NAEP Cross-Linking Study
International Assessment of Educational Progress
In 1990-91, as part of an international effort coordinated by the Educational Testing Service, a total of 20 countries assessed the mathematics and science achievement of 13-year-old students and 14 of the 20 countries assessed 9- year-old students in those same subjects. Some countries assessed virtually all age-eligible children in the appropriate age group; others confined their samples to certain geographic regions, language groups, or grade levels. The definition of populations often followed the structure of school systems, political divisions, and cultural distinctions. In some countries, significant proportions of age-eligible children were not represented because they did not attend school. Also, in some countries, low rates of school or student participation mean results may be biased.
Typically, a random sample of 3,300 students from about 110 different schools was selected from each population at each age level; half were assessed in mathematics and half in science. A total of about 175,000 9- and 13-year-olds (those born in calendar years 1981 and 1977, respectively) were tested in 13 different languages in March, 1991.
The achievement tests lasted one hour. The tests given to 9-year-olds included 62 questions in mathematics and 60 questions in science. Those for 13-year-olds included 76 questions in mathematics and 72 questions in science. In addition, students of each age spent about 10 minutes responding to questions about their backgrounds and home and school experiences. School administrators completed a school questionnaire.
Learning Mathematics
This is the published report of results of the assessment of mathematics achievement conducted through the International Assessment of Educational Progress. In 1991, 9- and 13-year-old participants in 20 countries were given a mathematics achievement test consisting of 62 and 72 questions, respectively. Students and school administrators also responded to questionnaires probing their classroom practices, study habits, and behavior at home. Learning Mathematics provides comparative achievement results as well as indicators of cultural and educational differences across the 20 countries reporting data. For a more accurate interpretation of results, it is important to evaluate achievement findings in the context provided by the descriptive data. Other areas of concern regarding data comparisons are the appropriateness of measures to a country's curricula, and the representativeness of target populations. Results are presented separately for two groups: comprehensive populations and populations with exclusions or low participation. Tables include percentages of questions that groups of students answered correctly, percentile distributions within nations, and estimates of sampling error. Learning Science, a companion volume, focuses on the science subtest of the International Assessment of Educational Progress.
As of 1993, LIS membership consisted of 23 countries in Europe, North America, and Australia, with applications pending for Korea, Finland, Mexico, Portugal, and Taiwan. Data are provided by individual nations and cover the period from 1968 to 1989. Each study conducted by LIS is produced in the form of a working paper, of which there are now more than 100. LIS reports are also published in books, articles, and dissertations.
The (NCES) uses the Common Core of Data (CCD) survey to acquire and maintain statistical data on the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the outlying areas from the universe of state-level education agencies. Information about staff and students is collected annually at the school, LEA (local education agency or school district), and state levels. Information about revenues and expenditures is also collected at the state level. Data are collected for a particular school year (July 1 through June 30) via survey instruments sent to the states by October 15 of the subsequent school year. States have two years in which to modify the data originally submitted.
Common Core of Data Finance Survey
The source of U.S. data for the elementary and secondary education finance data in this report is The National Public Education Financial Survey of the CCD series. The survey is one component of the Common Core of Data (CCD) surveys conducted annually by NCES, which provide basic descriptive information regarding the numbers of students and staff and the financing of public elementary and secondary schools. In compiling these fiscal data from administrative record systems, each state education agency (SEA) obtains data from the local education agencies (LEAs) that operate public schools. Each SEA may edit or examine the individual LEA reports before computing state totals. The reporting of fiscal data a year after the school year permits state administrative agencies to obtain audited fiscal LEA data.
Data Compendium for the NAEP 1992 Mathematics Assessment of the Nation and the States
This report represents the compiled data for one content area (mathematics) of the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The compendium contains hundreds of tables and charts documenting the responses of public and private school 4th, 8th, and 12th graders to the mathematics section of the NAEP. The 1992 assessment included nearly 250,000 students attending approximately 10,000 schools across the nations and states. Although the objectives framework underlying the assessments was developed by the Council of Chief State School Officers, participation and review were provided by educators, policymakers, practitioners, and citizens at large. The mathematics objectives were designed as a matrix comprising five broad content areas and three levels of mathematical ability. The content areas are: numbers and operations; measurement; geometry; data analysis, statistics and probability; and algebra and functions. The ability levels are: conceptual understanding; procedural knowledge; and problem solving. Student responses are broken down by geographical region, state, gender, race, and family background. Descriptive data are also provided from both students and teachers.
Degrees in Science and Mathematics: National Trends and State-by-State Data
This publication provides comprehensive national, regional, and state data on the number of degrees earned from mathematics and science programs in higher education and the related labor force, employment, and salary outcomes. Graduation statistics are presented for all degree levels in the fields of science and mathematics, and comparative data are included for other academic fields. For most indicators, year-by-year statistics document trends during the period from 1975 to 1990, and employment projections to the year 2005 are also included. Separate data for the number of degrees earned by non-U.S. citizens in mathematics, the sciences, and other fields are also provided.
Most of the data for this report draw upon the results of the "Higher Education General Information Survey," "Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System," "Recent College Graduate Survey," and "High School Transcript Study" programs of the (NCES).
Detailed Characteristics of Private Schools and Staff: 1987-1988
Produced in 1991, this report presents a detailed national summary of private schools and private school teachers and administrators. Information given for schools includes program emphasis, admissions criteria, and graduation and college application rates. Reported characteristics for teachers and administrators include personal background, educational level, experience, salary and incentives, nonschool employment, and attitudes and opinions about teaching. For every table, statistics are given for the nation as a whole as well as for public and private schools. Private school data are broken down according to various groupings - religious, nonsectarian, school affiliation, National Association of Independent Schools membership, and a nine-category private school typology. All data are based upon information collected through the 1987 88 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), developed by the and conducted by the U.S. Bureau of the Census. The SASS was a mail survey which collected public and private sector data on the nation's elementary and secondary teaching force, aspects of teacher supply and demand, teacher workplace conditions, characteristics of school administrators, and school policies and practices.
Digest of Education Statistics
Published annually since 1962, with the exception of the biennial editions of
1977-78, 1983-84, and 1985-86, the
IAEP/NAEP Cross-Linking Study
This study, described in the 1993 report, Toward World-Class Standards:
A Research Study Linking International and National Assessments,
explains the process used by Educational Testing Service (ETS) to compare data
across two separate mathematics assessments - the 1991 International
Assessment of Educational Progress (IAEP) and the 1992 National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP). The primary focus of the study was to estimate
the percentage of students from the IAEP countries predicted to fall above the
three achievement levels established by the National Assessment Governing
Board. Data from U.S. students who participated in both assessments were
analyzed and modeled by way of a regression analysis. This model was then
used to project IAEP results from non-U.S. countries onto the NAEP scale.
Understanding the margin of error often associated with such comparisons, the
study evaluates four possible sources of error by analyzing 1) the absolute
relationship between the IAEP and NAEP assessments, 2) results for the entire
IAEP population, 3) simple random samples of students, and 4) the true
proficiency level of every student. The results of the study showed a strong
correlation between the two assessments. The uncertainty of estimating
population values based on a non-simple random sample proved to be the
greatest component of error in linking the two mathematics assessments.
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) surveys all
postsecondary institutions, including universities and colleges, as well as
institutions offering technical and vocational education beyond the high
school level. This survey, which began in 1986, replaces the Higher Education
General Information Survey (HEGIS).
IPEDS consists of several integrated components that obtain information on
where postsecondary education is available (institutions), who participates in
it and completes it (students), what programs are offered and what programs
are completed, and what human and financial resources are involved in the
provision of institutionally-based postsecondary education. Specifically,
these components include: institutional characteristics, including
institutional activity; fall enrollment, including age and residence; fall
enrollment in occupationally specific programs; completions; finance; staff;
salaries of full-time instructional faculty; and academic libraries.
Fall Enrollment. This survey has been part of the IPEDS (or HEGIS, the
predecessor to the IPEDS) series since 1966; it was redesigned in the fall of
1986 with the introduction of IPEDS. The new survey system comprises all
postsecondary institutions, but also maintains comparability with earlier
surveys by allowing HEGIS institutions to be tabulated separately.
The 1991 enrollment response rate was 86.6 percent. Classification problems,
the unavailability of needed data, interpretation of definitions, the survey
due date, and operational errors have traditionally been major sources of
nonsampling error for this survey. Of these, it is estimated that the
classification of students has been the main cause of error.
Completions. This survey has been part of HEGIS (the predecessor to
the IPEDS) since its inception. The response rate for the 1989 90 survey was
92.3 percent. The major sources of nonsampling error for this survey were
differences between the NCES program taxonomy and taxonomies used by the
colleges, classification of double majors and double degrees, operational
problems, and survey timing.
Institutional Characteristics. This survey provided the basis for the
universe of institutions presented in the Education Directory, Colleges and
Universities. The universe comprised institutions that met certain
accreditation criteria and offered at least a 1-year program of college-level
studies leading toward a degree. All of these institutions were certified as
eligible by the U.S. Department of Education's Division of Eligibility and
Agency Evaluation. Each fall, institutions listed in the previous year's
Directory were asked to update a computer printout of their information.
Financial Statistics. This survey was part of the HEGIS series and has
been continued under the IPEDS system. Changes were made in the financial
survey instruments in fiscal years (FY) 1976, 1982, and 1987. Beginning in FY
82, Pell Grant data were collected in the categories of federal restricted
grants and contracts revenues and restricted scholarships and fellowships
expenditures. The introduction of IPEDS in the FY 87 survey included several
important changes to the survey instrument and data processing procedures.
While these changes were significant, considerable effort has been made to
present only comparable information on trends in this report and to note
inconsistencies.
The response rate has been about 85 to 90 percent for most of the years
reported. The FY91 response rate was 86.7 percent. Possible sources of
nonsampling error in the financial statistics include nonresponse, imputation,
and misclassification.
Staff. The fall staff data presented in this publication were
collected in cooperation with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
(EEOC). In 1989, survey instruments were mailed to 6,669 in-scope
postsecondary education institutions, including 2,576 4-year schools, 2,739
2-year schools, and 273 public less-than-2-year schools. EEOC collects staff
data through the Higher Education Staff Information (EEO-6) report from all
higher education institutions with 15 or more full-time employees. NCES,
through the IPEDS system, collects data from all other postsecondary
institutions, including higher education institutions with less than 15
full-time employees. The NCES and EEOC collect staff data biennially in odd
numbered years in institutions of postsecondary education. The IPEDS file
combines data from the two surveys to create the IPEDS Fall Staff data tape.
The overall response rate for the Fall Staff survey was 77.4 percent. The
response rate for higher education institutions was 89.6 percent.
International Assessment of Educational Progress
(See earlier entry under Educational Testing Service)
NAEP 1992 Mathematics Report Card for the Nation and the States
This extensive report contains tables and narrative descriptions outlining
student performance results on the 1992 National Assessment of Educational
Progress (NAEP) mathematics assessment, the history of NAEP, and how the
assessment was conducted. Overall performance results of students are
presented, broken down by geographic region, demographic subpopulation
(including race/ethnicity and gender), grade level (4, 8, or 12), and
achievement level. Parallel break-downs are presented for each of the five
NAEP mathematics content areas (numbers and operations; measurement; geometry;
data analysis, statistics, and probability; and algebra). The appendices
include information about the contextual background of NAEP student
participants and a detailed procedural overview of the assessment. (For more
information about the NAEP assessments, see description of Data Compendium for the NAEP 1992 Mathematics Assessment of the Nation and the
States.)
National Assessment of Educational Progress
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a Congressionally
mandated study funded by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement,
U.S. Department of Education. The overall goal of the project is to determine
the nation's progress in education. To accomplish this goal, a
cross-sectional study was designed and initially implemented in 1969.
Periodically, NAEP has gathered information about levels of educational
achievement across the country. NAEP has surveyed the educational
accomplishments of 9-,13-, and 17-year-old students (and in recent years,
grades 4, 8, and 12), and occasionally young adults, in 10 learning areas.
Different learning areas were assessed annually and, as of 1980 81,
biennially. Most areas have been periodically reassessed in order to measure
possible changes in education achievement.
Overview and Inventory of State Requirements for School Coursework and
Attendance
Produced in 1992 as part of NCES' Research and Development (R&D) series, this
report outlines: state mandates affecting student standards; the evolving
role of the states in the school reform process; trends in related student
performance outcomes; and the role that federal agencies such as NCES can
assume in monitoring the impact of state school reform efforts. This overview
is a response to the 1988 Hawkins-Stafford Elementary and Secondary School
Improvement Amendments, which included a mandate for an evaluation of "the
effects of higher standards prompted by school reform efforts on student
enrollment and persistence." Twenty-five tables and figures supplement text
reporting on such targets of reform as high school graduation requirements,
competency testing, minimum grade-point averages, instructional time and
intensity, and state-standardized curriculum.
Private School Universe Survey, 1989-90
This report, conducted in 1989 90 by the U.S. Bureau of the Census for the
(NCES), presents data on private
schools in the 50 states and the District of Columbia for grades kindergarten
through twelve by school size, school level, religious orientation,
geographical region, and program emphasis. The numbers of students and
teachers are reported in these same categories, as well as by grade level. As
a key component of the Private School Data Collection System, the Private
School Universe Survey (PSS) is a system designed to: 1) build an accurate
and complete NCES universe frame of private schools to serve as a sampling
frame for NCES sample surveys of private schools; and 2) generate annual data
on the total number of private schools, teachers, and students.
The 1989 PSS area frame sample consists of 123 primary sampling units (PSUs).
Each PSU is composed of a single county or independent city or cluster of
geographically-contiguous areas defined so that each PSU has a minimum
population of 20,000 according to the 1988 projected population. An attempt
was made to locate and survey all eligible private schools within each PSU.
Private Schools in the United States: A Statistical Profile, With
Comparisons to Public Schools
Drawing only on previously published or previously tabulated data, this report
provides an overview of basic private school data for the school years
1980-1981 through 1985-1986. Comparative data also is given for public
schools when available. The 70 tables present data on enrollment, number of
schools, tuition costs, governance, staffing characteristics, and student
attitudes and behavior by control of institution, religious orientation,
level, grade, geographical region, race and gender. Information is based on
the following surveys conducted by NCES: The Private School Survey, 1980-81;
The Private School Survey for 1983-84; The Private School Survey for 1985-86;
The 1985 Public School Survey; Common Core of Data; and High School and
Beyond.
Schools and Staffing Survey
Information on the school work force and teacher supply and demand are
fundamental features of America's public and private school landscape. Yet,
until recently, there has been a lack of data on characteristics of our
children's teachers and administrators and their workplace conditions. The
Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) was designed to meet this need. This
survey is a comprehensive public and private, elementary and secondary
education database that combines and expands three separate surveys NCES has
conducted in the past, including surveys of teacher demand and shortage, of
public and private schools, and of public and private school teachers.
Schools are the primary sampling unit for SASS, and a sample of teachers is
selected in each school; public school districts are included in the sample
when one or more of their schools is selected. The 1990-91 SASS included
approximately 12,800 schools (9,300 public and 3,500 private), 65,000 teachers
(52,000 public and 13,000 private), and 5,600 public school districts. The
survey was conducted by mail, with telephone follow-ups.
The SASS sample has been designed to support the following types of estimates
and comparisons: national and state estimates for public schools and teachers;
estimates for private schools and teachers at the national level and for
selected orientation groupings; and national comparisons of elementary,
secondary, and combined schools and teachers. SASS was first conducted in the
1987-1988 school year. Data collection at two-year intervals began in
1990-91.
Vital Statistics of the United States is an annual compilation of
data pertaining to natality and mortality for the U.S. and its territories.
Each two-volume edition presents tables with break-downs by geographic region
(for the nation, states, and various counties), age, race, and gender. All
data are collected by the National Center for Health Statistics using birth
and death registrations and reports of fetal deaths. Mortality statistics are
based on records from each reported year, with the exception of 1972, when a
50 percent sample was used due to personnel and budgetary restrictions.
In response to Sec.4(j)(i) of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, the
National Science Board (NSB) has published this biennial report on national
and international science and engineering indicators. As a division of the
National Science Foundation, a Federal agency, the NSB produces this report
primarily as a reference for researchers and policymakers. Providing text,
tables, and charts, Science and Engineering Indicators reports
upon the global status of the United States in science, math, and engineering
education; participation of scientists and engineers in the labor force;
research and development; technological innovation; and public attitudes
toward science and technology. Most of the international tables compare the
United States to the other G-7 nations or members of the Organization for
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Education at a Glance
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which had
for years published indicators on macroeconomics, trade, industry, and
agriculture, began an effort in the 1980s to develop and collect social
indicators, starting with health care. Turning its attention next to
education, the organization launched, in 1987, the Indicators of Education
Systems project (INES) under the responsibility of its Center for Educational
Research and Innovation (CERI). Several international groups of experts
developed conceptual frameworks, agreed on definitions, and executed pilot
studies to determine the set of possible indicators that best illustrated the
condition of education in the OECD countries. In 1992, the OECD published a
set of indicators, employing data from the late 1980s, in Education at a
Glance (EAG).
The 1993 version presents an improved and updated set of international
education indicators which cover the 1990/91 school year. The 38 indicators
excluded are the product of extensive co-operation among the Member countries
and the OECD Secretariat and, in particular, intense work by the data
producers involved in the INES (Indicators of Education Systems) project.
All countries have contributed resources to the project, and some have
provided substantial additional assistance through their support to the
Technical Group, four Networks and several ad hoc investigative teams. The
publication of this study has been facilitated by a special grant made
available to INES by the (NCES) at
the United States Department of Education.
This publication, like its predecessor, has four principal sections: one
devoted to the economic, social and demographic context of education (C); the
second presenting information on costs, resources and processes (P); a third
dedicated to the results of education (R); and a fourth including notes to the
indicators, technical comments and a glossary. To these four sections has
been added a fifth, a statistical supplement containing the most complex
tables, which have been moved to the end in order to trim the main body of the
volume. Each section is accompanied by a brief introduction that draws the
attention of the readers to important issues of measurement and
interpretation.
Education in OECD Countries: A Compendium of Statistical
Information
A predecessor to the Education at a GlanceCompendium series ended with the publication of 1989/90 data.
Content of the Compendium was short on text and long on tables
and graphs. Compendium volumes contained many of the same tables
included later in Education at a Glance volumes - for enrollment,
attainment, and education spending, for example but without any descriptive
or explanatory text. Unique to the Compendium series, however,
is a section of one-page diagrams describing the structure of each country's
education system. Each diagram indicates the duration typical to each type
and level of education and the direction of student flows between types and
levels.
Published annually, Demographic Statistics is a statistical
yearbook presenting data on population, natality, mortality, and civil status
for the European Community and its 12 member states. Comparisons are also
made between the European Community and the world. Although most of the
almost 200 tables and graphs provide current data, both historical trends and
projections are documented in some figures for the period between 1960 and
2020.
For member states of the European Community, information is provided by
national statistical services. Data for non-community countries are gathered
primarily from international organizations, mainly the United Nations. In
certain cases, intercountry data are not strictly comparable due to varying
definitions and classifications of some categories. Such discrepancy is
modified in this publication using SYSCODEM, a software system which employs a
common method to calculate demographic measures.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
conducts annual surveys of education statistics of its member countries.
Besides official surveys, data are supplemented by information obtained by
UNESCO through other publications and sources. Each year more than 200
countries reply to the UNESCO surveys. In some cases, estimates are made by
UNESCO for particular items such as world and continent totals. While great
efforts are made to make them as comparable as possible, the data still
reflect the vast differences among the countries of the world in the structure
of education. While there is some agreement about the reporting of first- and
second-level data, the third level (postsecondary education) presents numerous
substantial problems. Some countries report only university enrollment while
other countries report all postsecondary, including vocational and technical
schools and correspondence programs. A very high proportion of some
countries' third-level students attend institutions in other countries. While
definition problems are many in this sort of study, other survey problems
should not be overlooked. The member countries that provide data to UNESCO
are responsible for their validity. Thus, data for particular countries are
subject to nonsampling error and perhaps sampling error as well. Some
countries may furnish only rough estimates while data from other countries may
be very accurate. Other difficulties are caused by the varying periodicity of
data collection among the countries of the world. In spite of such problems,
many researchers use UNESCO data because they are the best available. Users
should examine footnotes carefully to recognize some of the data limitations.
The U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) is an agency of the U.S. Congress,
primarily responsible for audits and evaluations of federal programs. The GAO
also responds to requests from members of Congress for information that will
facilitate sound judgement and prudent decisions on pending legislation.
Sometimes, responding to these requests requires original data collection in a
domain outside the boundaries of preexisting official data collection
activities. Education Finance represents such a response to a
Congressional request. It is a compilation, in considerable detail, of each
state education agency's total expenditures for administration and the
proportion of those expenditures represented by federal revenue.
The World Health Organization (WHO), a division of the United Nations devoted
to the research, evaluation, and dissemination of services concerning issues
of international public health, has published the World Health
Statistics Annual since 1962. From 1939 to 1962, the report was
produced under the title Annual Epidemiological and Vital
Statistics. Based on data provided by the national statistical offices
of individual countries, the publication reports upon the global prevalence of
diseases and disablements; causes of death; immunizations; population and
urbanization trends and projections; and life expectancy. Tables and figures
are broken down by WHO region, country, age and gender. The 1990 report
contains data for fifty nations in WHO regions of Europe, the Americas,
South-East Asia, the Eastern Mediterranean, and the Western Pacific. The
countries included in the report vary year to year, due to inconsistent
participation of individual nations.
National Center for Health Statistics
Vital Statistics of the United States
U.S. Department of Health and Human ServicesNational Science Foundation
Science and Engineering Indicators
National Science BoardOrganization for Economic Co-operation and Development
(See also earlier entry under Center for Educational Research and Innovation)
Statistical Office of the European Communities
Demographic Statistics
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO)
Statistical Yearbook, 1992
United States Department of Commerce
(See earlier entries under Bureau of the Census and Bureau of Economic Analysis)
United States Department of Education
(See earlier entry under )
United States Department of Health and Human Services
(See earlier entry under National Center for Health Statistics)
United States Department of Labor
(See earlier entry under Bureau of Labor Statistics)
United States General Accounting Office,
Education Finance: Extent of Federal Funding in State Education
Agencies
World Health Organization
World Health Statistics Annual
Glossary 
