United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has issued the following statement in response to "The Condition of Education" report for 2009 released today by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES):
The Condition of Education 2009 summarizes important developments and trends in education using the latest available data."These findings clearly show the need for us to make college available to all young people and adults and the bottom line benefits of a higher education. Over the last three decades immediate college enrollment increased for all income levels, although we still need to help close the gap between those who need financial help and those who don't. The enrollment gap between students from low- and high-income families shrunk by nearly 50 percent, which means more low-income students are accessing college. This is extremely encouraging, as they have the potential to lift families out of circumstances of poverty. The financial advantages provided by a college education are clear. Young people with a bachelor's degree earn twice as much as those without a high school diploma, according to this research.
President Obama has set a goal that by 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world. (Why that's important) This requires more college enrollment right out of high school and more adults going back to college as our workforce reinvents itself. Stimulus funds and our proposed 2010 budget are targeted to do just that by increasing access to college and reducing high school and college dropout rates.
While the findings of the 2009 Condition of Education report show that young students are showing some progress, we can't overlook the fact that adults need more help in preparing for the work world or further education.
As I reflect on these findings, I am confident that we are on the right course as the Administration implements a comprehensive cradle-to-career education agenda to prepare our citizenry to compete in the global economy. Every single child deserves the very best education possible and our job is to give it to them."
Among the report’s other findings:
- Public elementary and secondary enrollment is projected to increase to 54 million in 2018.
- Over the period of 2006 to 2018, the South is projected to experience the largest increase (18 percent) in the number of students enrolled.
- Between 1972 and 2007, the percentage of public school students who were White decreased from 78 to 56 percent. This decrease largely reflects the growth in the number of students who were Hispanic, particularly in the West.
- The average reading and mathematics scores on the long-term trend National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) were higher in 2008 than in the early 1970s for 9- and 13-yearolds; scores for 17-year-olds were not measurably different over the same period.
- In 2005–06, about three-quarters of the 2002–03 freshman class graduated from high school with a regular diploma.
- The rate of college enrollment immediately after high school completion increased
from 49 percent in 1972 to 67 percent by 1997, but has since fluctuated between
62 and 69 percent. - About 58 percent of first-time students seeking a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent and attending a 4-year institution full time in 2000–01 completed a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent at that institution within 6 years.
- The percentage of 25- to 29-year-olds completing a bachelor’s degree or higher increased from 17 to 29 percent between 1971 and 2000 and was 31 percent in 2008.
- Women accounted for 57 percent of the bachelor’s degrees and 62 percent of all associate’s
degrees awarded in the 2006–07 academic year.
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