Member Resources

Research on ESAs

AESA Publications

Legislative Update

Conferences

Business Partners &
Members

ESA Job Postings

ESA State Links

Membership Directory

ESA State Statutes

State Documents

Executives in Residence Program

AESA 2010 Legislative Agenda

SES Model Documents

Sample Job Descriptions

Sample Evaluation Surveys

 

 

 

In the Know

May 2010

The reading achievement gap between 8th-grade students in low-poverty vs. high-poverty schools was 34 points, on a 500 point scale, in 2009, and the mathematics achievement gap was 38 points. In 2007-08, according to school administrators, about 28 percent of high school graduates from high-poverty schools attended 4-year colleges after graduation, compared with 52 percent of high school graduates from low-poverty schools.
The Condition of Education 2010

April 2010

The number of public school teachers has risen faster than the number of public school students over the past 10 years, resulting in declines in the pupil/teacher ratio. In the fall of 2009, there were a projected 15.3 public school pupils per teacher, compared with 16.1 public school pupils per teacher 10 years earlier. Record levels of total elementary, secondary, and college enrollment are expected through at least 2018.
Digest of Education Statistics, 2009

March 2010

In the 2007–08 school year, 64 percent of districts reported having at least one alternative school or program for at-risk students that was administered either by the district or by another entity.  Forty percent of districts reported having at least one district-administered alternative school or program, and 35 percent of districts reported using at least one alternative school or program administered by another entity in the 2007–08 school year.
Alternative Schools and Programs for Public School Students At Risk of Educational Failure: 2007-08

 

December 2009

Ninety-seven percent of districts surveyed had a local area network in all schools and 2 percent had it in some schools. Eighty-one percent of districts provided a district network to all schools and 3 percent provided it to some schools. Of the districts surveyed, 100 percent of those with a district network were connected to the Internet. Educational Technology in Public School Districts: Fall 2008

November 2009

Twenty-two percent of students attending schools that did not make AYP for three or more years received free tutoring, compared to 13 percent of students in other public schools.  Within schools that missed AYP targets for three or more years, the parents of 63 percent of the students who received free tutoring were very satisfied with the tutoring their child received. Students' Use of Tutoring Services, by Adequate Yearly Progress Status of School

October 2009

73% of high school freshmen, nationwide, graduated on time with their peers.  However, this four-year graduation rate in 2006 varied widely across states -- from a low of 55.9% to a high of 87.5%.  Another key finding: students living in low-income families were approximately 10 times more likely to drop out of high school, between 2006 and 2007, than students living in high-income families. High School Dropout and Completion Rates in the United States: 2007

September 2009

For regular school districts, median current expenditures per pupil were $9,056 in FY 07. Median expenditures per pupil on instruction and instruction-related activities in regular school districts were $5,824. Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary School Districts: school year 2006–07 (Fiscal Year 2007)

August 2009

In 2008, there were 73.9 million children ages 0–17 in the United States (or 24 percent of the population) down from a peak of 36 percent at the end of the "baby boom" (1964). Children are projected to remain a fairly stable percentage of the total population through 2021, when they are projected to compose 24 percent of the population. America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2009

July 2009

Of the estimated 16,330 public school districts in operation, 48 percent (7,770) were located in rural communities, 21 percent (3,480) in suburban areas, 18 percent (2,900) in towns, and 13 percent (2,190) in cities. The average lowest yearly base salary paid to full-time teachers was $34,000 and the highest was $60,400 in 2007-08 among all districts. Characteristics of Public School Districts in the United States: Results From the 2007-08 Schools and Staffing Survey

June 2009

The U.S. national graduation rate in 2005-06 was 69.2%.See graduation rates for each state in the Diplomas Count Report from Education Week.

March 2009

In public schools between 1985 and 2008, there was a 29 percent increase in elementary enrollment (prekindergarten through grade 8), compared with a 20 percent increase in secondary enrollment. NCES forecasts record levels of total elementary and secondary enrollment through at least 2017, reflecting expected increases in the school-age population. Digest of Education Statistics 2008

February 2009

New research suggests that play and down time may be as important to a child’s academic experience as reading, science and math. Regular recess, fitness or outdoor activities can influence behavior, concentration and even grades. This research comes at a time when many schools are cutting back on recess time to focus on academics. Article in New York Times, February 24, 2009

According to a new report from the College Board, 15.2 percent of the public school graduating class of 2008 had access to an AP experience that resulted in a score of 3 or higher — the score research shows to be indicative of students learning at levels that increase the likelihood of success in college. This achievement represents a significant and consistent improvement since the class of 2003, when 12.2 percent of graduates experienced success in AP. Eighteen states equaled or exceeded the national percentage of 15.2 percent. 5^th Annual AP Report to the Nation

January 2009

According to a new report from the National Institute for Literacy the best early predictors of literacy are alphabet knowledge, phonemic awareness, rapid naming skills, writing [such as writing one's own name], and short-term memory for words said aloud. Developing Early Literacy

December 2008

American students in grades four and eight showed steady improvements in mathematics since 1995 and generally rank at least in the top one-third compared to other countries, according to the latest report of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).

November 2008

Sleep helps the mind learn complicated tasks and helps people recover learning they otherwise thought they had forgotten over the course of a day, research at the University of Chicago shows.
Sleep Helps People Learn Complicated Tasks, Science Daily, November 19, 2008

October 2008

Students in six major U.S. cities are performing on par or better in mathematics than their peers in other countries in grades 4 and 8, according to a new study by the American Institutes for Research (AIR). However, students from five other major cities are not faring as well, and overall, U.S. student performance in mathematics falls off from elementary to middle school grades — and remains behind many industrialized nations, particularly Asian nations. Counting on the Future: International Benchmarks in Mathematics for American School Districts

September 2008

Lack of funding for schools tops the list of "biggest problems facing schools" for the sixth year in a row. Americans support an increased use of federal funds to maintain local public schools.
PDK/Gallup Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools

The averaged freshman graduation rate (AFGR), which provides an estimate of the percentage of public high school students who graduate with a regular diploma 4 years after starting 9th grade, was 74.7 percent for the class of 2005. Students living in low-income families were approximately four times more likely to drop out of high school between 2005 and 2006 than were students living in high-income families. Dropout and Completion Rates in the United States: 2006

August 2008

Despite an amazing 9% increase over last year in the number of students taking the ACT (fueled, partly, by Michigan joining Colorado and Illinois in making the test part of its statewide assessment system for eleventh-graders), the 2008 national average ACT composite score was 21.1 (on a scale of 1 to 36), up from 20.9 in 2004 and only a slight dip from 21.2 in 2007. The results suggest students must continue to take courses beyond minimum high school requirements to adequately prepare for college. 2008 ACT National and State Scores

The average annual salary of public school teachers in California as of the 2005-2006 school year was $59,825 — the highest of any state. Teachers in South Dakota received the lowest pay — $34,709. The national average was $49,026. High school principals earned $92,965 annually in 2006-07.
Upcoming Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2009, Tables 244 and 247

July 2008

In 2006, 88 percent of young adults ages 18–24 had completed high school with a diploma or an alternative credential such as a General Educational Development (GED) certificate. In 2006, 66 percent of high school completers enrolled immediately in a 2-year or 4-year college.
America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2008

Average reading scores of 4th and 8th graders were higher in 2007 than in 1992. Average mathematics scores increased 27 points for 4th-graders and 19 points for 8th-graders between 1990 and 2007.
The Condition of Education 2008

June 2008

Minority students make up 43 percent of the public school enrollment overall and 48 percent in the South and 55 percent in the West. Twenty percent of school-age children speak a language other than English at home; about 5 percent speak English with difficulty.
The Condition of Education 2008

In the 2006-07 school year 94% of all core academic classes were taught by a highly qualified teacher. This is an increase of more than 7 percentage points from 2003-04. A higher percentage of classes were led by HQTs in elementary school (96%) than in secondary school (93%).  Also, at both levels, classes in low-poverty schools were more likely to be led by HQTs than were classes in high-poverty schools. 
Highly Qualified Teacher Data 2006-07. U.S. Dept. of Education

May 2008

In school year 2006–07, 70 percent of 98,905 schools nationwide (64,546) made adequate yearly progress; 10,676 schools were designated as schools in need of im­provement, and 2,302 schools were desig­nated as schools in need of improvement restructuring.
Turning Around Chronically Low-Performing Schools: A practice guide

April 2008

Total NCLB funding (2008): $24.4 billion, a 40.5 % increase over 2001 levels.
Testing System Status (including DC and Puerto Rico):
Approved: 30 States; Approval Expected: 6 States; Approval Pending: 16 States
Mapping America's Educational Progress 2008

Expenditures of elementary and secondary schools for 2006–07 are expected to total $599 billion, while those of degree-granting postsecondary institutions are expected to total $373 billion. Total expenditures for education are expected to amount to 7.4 percent of the gross domestic product in 2006–07.
Digest of Education Statistics: 2007

March 2008

A projected 3.7 million full-time elementary and secondary school teachers were engaged in classroom instruction in the fall of 2007. This number has risen 17% since 1997.The number of public school teachers has risen faster than the number of public school students over the past 10 years, resulting in declines in the pupil/teacher ratio. In the fall of 2007, there were a projected 15.4 pupils per teacher.
Digest of Education Statistics: 2007

Nearly 45 million (61 percent) of the nation’s 73 million children younger than 18 lived with their biological mother and father in 2004 regardless of the parents’ marital status, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report released today. Of these children, 42.7 million lived with both parents who were married to each other.
U.S. Census Bureau News

The National Center for Education Statistics forecasts record levels of total elementary and secondary enrollment through at least 2015, as the school-age population continues to rise. The fastest public school growth is projected to occur in the elementary grades (pre-kindergarten through grade 8). Public secondary school enrollment (grades 9 through 12) is expected to show a net decline of 2 percent between 2006 and 2015.
Digest of Education Statistics: 2006

Total public elementary and secondary school enrollment reached approximately 49,676,964 million in the 2005-2006 school year. Of that number 40.9% were low--income students; 8.5% were limited English proficient students and 13.6% were students with disabilities.
Mapping America's Educational Progress 2008

Total public and private elementary and secondary school enrollment reached a record 55 million in fall 2004, representing a 15 percent increases since fall 1991. Between 2004, the last year of actual data and 2016, a further increase of 9 percent is expected, with increases projected in both public and private schools. Increases are expected in the Midwest, South, and West and a decrease is expected in the Northeast.
Projections of Educational Statistics to 2016