• Introduction
• Teachers and Facilities
• College-Going Opportunities
• Educational Technology
• Conclusion
• References

As our nation grows larger and more diverse, it is more important than ever for policymakers to make full use of the many statistical resources that are available to us. Federally funded research enables policymakers at all levels to determine relative needs for services across many dimensions of America: geographic, demographic, economic, and social. Our democratic system thrives on the free flow of accurate information and the consequent informed discussion among the people and their representatives.

My office relies on the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to gather and analyze data about our education system in a systematic, unbiased, and comprehensive manner. Several recent NCES reports provide examples of how data have been used by U.S. Department of Education officials to identify and track important policy needs. These reports— Projections of Education Statistics to 2010 (featured in this issue of the Quarterly), Predicting the Need for Newly Hired Teachers in the United States to 2008–09 (Hussar 1999), and Condition of America’s Public School Facilities: 1999 (Lewis et al. 2000)—helped inform the Department’s most recent back-to-school special report, entitled Growing Pains: The Challenge of Overcrowded Schools Is Here to Stay (U.S. Department of Education 2000).

During the 1990s, the so-called "baby boom echo"—the children of the baby boom generation, along with the children of new immigrants—swelled the ranks of our elementary schools. Projections of Education Statistics to 2010, the latest edition of an annual report by NCES, confirms that K–12 enrollment will continue to set new records for several years.

The Projections report also finds that the population surge has now moved full force into the high school and postsecondary education spheres. In order to be effective, education policies at the local, state, and national levels need to reflect the changes in student enrollment that are predicted in the Projections report. By focusing our efforts on three main areas—teachers and facilities, college-going opportunities, and educational technology—I believe that today’s policymakers can help build the infrastructure to provide excellent educational opportunities for future generations.

First, we need to continue and strengthen local, state, and national initiatives to recruit and prepare well-qualified teachers and to build better facilities.

In order to recruit and retain teachers, some school districts and states have considered or offered signing bonuses, subsidized housing, higher salaries, and other incentives. In Cobb County, Georgia, for example, new teachers receive a signing bonus that can range from $750 to $1,500. A proposal in Maryland would offer reduced home mortgage rates for teachers in the state’s public schools. These kinds of creative efforts may serve as models for other communities and states trying to improve teaching and learning.

While education is a state responsibility and a local function, it is also a national priority. That is why President Clinton has urged Congress to honor its commitment to hire 100,000 new, well-trained teachers to reduce class size in the early grades. Sometime before this article is published, we should know whether Congress has appropriated funds in next year’s budget to continue the Class-Size Reduction program, which has already hired 29,000 teachers in schools across the country. Also, the Troops to Teachers program recruits former members of the military to become teachers in high-need subject areas and school districts.

The administration’s budget request for next year includes the Hometown Teachers proposal, which would help high-poverty districts address longstanding teacher shortages. In August, the U.S. Department of Education announced a new student loan forgiveness program for teachers who work at schools in needy areas. In addition, President Clinton recently announced a new Web site, http:/www.recruitingteachers.org, financed by the U.S. Department of Education and run by Recruiting New Teachers, Inc., that can help teachers seeking jobs and school districts working to hire or retain teachers.

The increase in student enrollment has created not only a shortage of teachers, but also a shortage of classrooms. Again, policymakers and community leaders are trying to respond. Some communities have passed bonds to build new schools or renovate existing schools, and some states have increased their support for school construction. But the spending has not kept pace with the need. An estimated $127 billion is needed to bring America’s schools into good overall condition, according to the NCES Condition of America’s Public School Facilities report (Lewis et al. 2000).

In this area as well, viable solutions have been proposed. A bipartisan bill before the U.S. House of Representatives would help communities finance school renovations. The Johnson-Rangel bill’s innovative financing mechanism is a cost-effective approach that would leverage nearly $25 billion in school repairs and new construction, while avoiding the creation of new federal programs or bureaucracy. Repairing and reconstructing our public schools is essential to the success of our nationwide effort to ensure that every student has access to a safe, healthy, and modern learning environment.

The President’s School Renovation proposal would supplement the Johnson-Rangel bill by extending federal funding to poor communities that cannot issue bonds. The School Renovation initiative would provide grants and interest-free federal loans to needy school districts in order to fund urgent renovations. Well-equipped schools and well-qualified teachers are two important factors in reaching our goal of providing a quality education for every child in America.

The second area that policymakers need to focus on is to increase college-going opportunities, especially for disadvantaged young people.

One of the most significant findings of Projections of Education Statistics to 2010 is that enrollment in higher education is expected to rise to 17.5 million by the year 2010, an increase of 20 percent from 1998. As more and more high school graduates compete for a limited number of slots in college, it is important to build on our nation’s recent progress in encouraging low-income and minority students to attend college.

I am pleased that the U.S. Department of Education has a number of initiatives designed to help prepare low-income and minority students for college and to strengthen the institutions that serve them. The GEAR UP and TRIO programs support college attendance among students from disadvantaged backgrounds. For GEAR UP, the focus is on providing mentors who can help middle school students begin to succeed in challenging courses that will prepare them for college. The TRIO programs identify promising high school students from disadvantaged backgrounds, encourage them to strive for college, and prepare them to succeed in college.

But preparing students for college coursework is only half the battle: we also have to make sure that their families can afford to pay for college. The U.S. Department of Education’s Student Financial Assistance office is working to make higher education affordable for everyone. In recent years, tax credits, expanded Pell Grants, and work-study positions have made it easier for Americans to pursue postsecondary schooling. Furthermore, in the admin-istration’s budget request for next year, the President has proposed the College Opportunity Tax Cut, which would give investments in postsecondary education the same tax advantage as investments in a family home.

Even as we make college more accessible and more affordable for low-income and minority students, we need to make sure that the institutions they attend are of high quality. Education is the key civil right for the 21st century. To guarantee this right for all, a portion of federal funds are targeted toward the two largest minority groups in the United States—African Americans and Hispanics. For example, federal funding supports Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). In 1995, HBCUs matriculated 26 percent of all African-American students enrolled in 4-year colleges, awarded master’s degrees and first-professional degrees to about 1 in 6 African-American men and women who earned such degrees, and awarded 27 percent of all baccalaureate degrees earned by African Americans nationwide (Snyder 1997). More than 40 percent of Hispanic students are in Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), which are accredited and degree-granting public or private nonprofit institutions of higher education with at least 25 percent or more total undergraduate Hispanic full-time-equivalent student enrollment. By supporting high-quality education at HBCUs and HSIs, federal funding can help ensure that graduates of these institutions are prepared to succeed in the workplace.

Distance learning and Web-based education will never become a substitute for the traditional college experience, but they can expand opportunities. Over the course of a career, a knowledgeable, caring professor can have a longlasting influence on thousands of young people. With technology, college-level instruction can reach even more students, even those in remote or underserved areas. And technology provides more resources for professors and students alike.

Through initiatives like the U.S. Deptment of Education's Learning Anytime Anywhere Partnerships (LAAP) grants, government can encourage innovations in higher education. Under LAAP, colleges work with each other and with business and organizations to develop programs to expand high-quality learning opportunities - often making use of Internet technology - that students can access anytime, anywhere. The LAAP initiative is especially effective for individuals who have limited access to traditional college campus because of their geographic location, a physical disability, or scheduling conflicts created by competing demands of work and family.

As postsecondary education changes, private-public partnerships and consortia like the Southern Regional Education Board will continue to play an important role, as they have, for example, in establishing online college-level coursework. But public policy should guarantee that students at online universities are well served and that public funds supporting these institutions are well used.

In each of these three areas, our actions today will affect education for generations to come. The Projections report identifies many of the challenges that lie ahead for our nation's schools. To meet those challenges, we will need a federal-state-local partnership that invests in K-12 education, continues to make expanding college access a top priority, and adapts education policies as technology changes. If we take these steps, we can provide excellent educational opportunities for every American.

Hussar, W.J. (1999). Predicting the Need for Newly Hired Teachers in the United States to 2008-9 (NCES 1999-026). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, D.C: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Lewis, L., Snow, K., Farris, E., Smerdon, B., Cronen, S., and Kaplan, J. (2000). Condition of America's Public School Facilities: 1999 (NCES 2000-032). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, D.C: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Snyder, T.D. (1997). Digest of Education Statistics: 1997 (NCES 98-015). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, D.C: U.S. Government Printing Office.

U.S. Department of Education (2000). Growing Pains: The Challenge of Overcrowded Schools is Here to Stay. Washington, D.C: Author. Available: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/bbecho00/