Report: More Americans enrolling in college

June 1, 2000
Web posted at: 2:08 p.m. EDT (1808 GMT)

In this story: Preschool education on the rise Improvements at elementary and high schools RELATED STORIES, SITES

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A report released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Education offered an improving snapshot of the status of public education in the United States.

"The condition of education shows that we're making some progress, but gaps in achievement among certain groups remain," said John Wirt, editor of the report, which evaluated education at all levels, preschool through post-secondary education.

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Changes in education

The study, titled "The Condition of Education: 2000," "provides factual data about the trends in student achievement, financing of education and enrollment," Wirt said.

National enrollment in post-secondary education continued to rise, according to the report.

Between 1972 and 1998, the overall proportion of minority post-secondary students increased from 22 percent to 37 percent. Specifically, Wirt said, the gap between white and minority high school graduates who immediately go on to post-secondary education has been decreasing since 1984.

Overall, between 1984 and 1998, the percentage of students completing high school and immediately enrolling at a post-secondary institution rose from 55 percent to 66 percent.

By 1998, 62 percent of black and 69 percent of white students had enrolled in a college, university or trade school immediately following high school graduation.

Preschool education on the rise

School enrollment rates were growing fastest among America's youngest children, with 65 percent of 3- to 5-year-olds enrolled in early childhood education in 1998.

By the time those children started kindergarten, they were already developing basic skills related to reading and mathematics, according to the study.

In fall 1998, for example, 94 percent of beginning kindergartners could recognize single-digit numbers and basic shapes, and 66 percent could recognize the letters of the alphabet.

However, the report indicated wide differences in skills among new kindergartners and their general knowledge. Those differences tended to separate along racial and family income lines. Skills among minorities and students of lower-income families tended to be less developed at the kindergarten level, according to the report.

Improvements at elementary and high schools

During the past two decades, trends in the performance of elementary and secondary students in reading, mathematics, and science generally have been positive. For example, 9-, 13- and 17-year-olds all improved their average scores on mathematics and science assessments between the late 1970s and 1996.

In addition, the percentage of elementary and high school students taking advanced mathematics and science courses has been increasing, according to the report.

The survey said enrollment rates have risen more quickly among women than men. By 1998, women made up 57 percent of all post-secondary students, up from 41 percent in 1970.

The Condition of Education is a congressionally mandated annual report produced by the National Center for Education Statistics, at the U.S. Department of Education.

It reflects a consensus of professional judgment about significant national measures on the condition and progress of education.

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U.S. Department of Education (ED) Home Page
Challenging the Status Quo: The Education Record, 1993-2000
Committee on Education and the Workforce, U.S. House of Representatives - 106th Congress

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