Education was the primary occupation of about 75 million people in the United States in the fall of 1997. Included in this total were about 66.3 million students enrolled in American schools and colleges. About 4 million people were employed as elementary and secondary school teachers and as college faculty. Other professional, administrative, and support staff of educational institutions numbered 4.4 million. In a nation with a population of about 265 million, more than 1 out of every 4 persons participated in formal education.
Clearly, from the large number of participants, the 12 to 13 years that people spend in school, and the hundreds of billions of dollars expended by educational institutions, it is evident that the American people have a high regard for education.
