School Figures presents the most recent statistics, along with historical trends and cross-sectional comparisons, and thus provides a clear, factual picture of today's educational landscape. Organized in a concise and understandable format featuring numerous tables, charts, and graphs, the book provides a unique visual picture of the facts on K–12 issues.
Each chapter presents surprising facts on key, much-debated areas of K–12 education, including
- School demographics: children in public schools are actually receiving more, not less, individualized attention
- Family/student demographics: when it comes to a good education, family may matter most
- Teachers: teacher certification is not necessarily a quality guarantee and for some is a deterrent
- Cost and finance: expenditures may not matter as much as allocation—and when it comes to achievement, the largest source of federal aid to schools has not made a bit of difference
- Testing and achievement: secondary school math and English test scores are not commensurate with the time spent learning these subjects—and while homework matters, the amount of television watched may matter more
- Public school reform: school choice means more-involved parents—which means higher-achieving students
- Alternative education routes: home schooling is the fastest growing alternative to public schooling—and a good one at that
Copyright 2003.
