CHART: International comparisons

International comparisons of mathematics and science proficiency
4th graders in the U.S. and 25 other countries, 8th graders in the U.S. and 40 other countries, and students in the final year of secondary school in the U.S. and 20 other countries U.S. 4th graders perform above the international average in both mathematics and science achievement. However, U.S. 8th graders score below the international average in mathematics achievement and above average in science achievement, and U.S. 12 graders score below the international average in mathematics and science achievement.

Provided by National Center for Education Statistics as of April 19, 1999.

CHART: Civics Achievement

Civics Achievement
4th, 8th, and 12th graders in 1998 At grades 4 and 8, almost half of the students scored in the Basic achievement level, while at grade 12, 39 percent of students were in the Basic achievement level range.

Provided by National Center for Education Statistics as of December 16, 1999.

---

CHART: Writing Achievement

Writing Achievement
8th graders in 1998 in the nation and participating states For 8th-grade public school students in the nation as a whole, 23 percent were at the Proficient achievement level, and 1 percent at the Advanced level. Among participating states and jurisdictions, the percentages of students at the Proficient level ranged from 8 percent to 40 percent, and the percentages at the Advanced level ranged from 0 percent to 6 percent.

Provided by National Center for Education Statistics as of September 30,1999.

---

CHART: Trends in Academic Progress

Trends in Academic Progress
Reading, mathematics, and science performance of 9-, 13-, and 17-year-olds Generally, the trends in mathematics and science are characterized by declines in the 1970s, followed by increases during the 1980s and early 1990s, and mostly stable performance since then. Some gains are also evident in reading, but they are modest.

Provided by National Center for Education Statistics as of September 1, 2000.

---

CHART: Status Dropout Rate

Dropout Rate
Trends in Status Dropouts, ages 16-24, by race-ethnicity In October of 1999, 11.2 percent of young adults in the United States were not enrolled in a high school program and had not completed high school.

Provided by National Center for Education Statistics as of November 16, 2000

.

---

CHART: Kindergartners

Cognitive Skills of Kindergartners
Percentage of first-time kindergartners proficient in various reading and math skills: Fall 1998 In reading, 66 percent of kindergartners are proficient in recognizing their letters and 29 percent are proficient in understanding the beginning sounds. In math, nearly all first-time kindergartners are proficient in number and shape (recognizing numbers, shapes, and counting to 10) and 58 percent are proficient in understanding relative size.

Provided by National Center for Education Statistics as of March 27, 2000.

---

CHART: Distance Education

Distance Education at Postsecondary Education Institutions
Higher education institutions offering and enrollment in distance education courses In fall 1995, 33 percent of 2-year and 4-year higher education institutions offered distance education courses. In 1997-98, this had grown to 44 percent of 2-year and 4-year higher education institutions.

Provided by National Center for Education Statistics as of July 10, 2000.

---

CHART: School Conditions

Condition of Public School Facilities
Percentage of schools with less than adequate building features and plans to repair: 1999 Among the 20 percent of public schools with less than adequate life safety features, 56 percent had no plans for major repair, renovation, or replacement in the next two years.

Provided by National Center for Education Statistics as of June 23, 2000.

---

CHART: Doctoral Degrees Awarded in S&E and non-S&E fields

Doctoral Degrees Awarded in S&E In 1999, U.S. universities conferred 25,953 doctorate awards in science and engineering (S&E) fields, down from 27,309 in 1998.

Previous
27,309
1998

Current
25,953
1999

Provided by National Science Foundation/SRS as of December 2000.

---

CHART: Percent Women Among S&E Doctorate Awards

Doctorate Awards in S&E Awarded to Women The representation of women among science and engineering doctorate recipients continues to increase--women received 35 percent of all doctorates awarded in 1999 versus 28 percent in 1990.

Previous
33.3%
1998

Current
35.0%
1999

Provided by National Science Foundation/SRS as of December 2000.

---

CHART: Graduate Enrollment, by Area of Study

Graduate Enrollment in S&E After five years of steady decreases, the number of graduate students in science and engineering began to increase.

Previous
404,903
1998

Current
411,308
1999

Provided by National Science Foundation/SRS as of December 2000.

---

CHART: Full-time Graduate Students, by Mechanism of Support

Support Sources for S&E Graduate Students During the period 1992-99, the proportion of full-time science and engineering graduate students primarily supported under research assistantships remained relatively steady increasing from 30.0 percent to 31.6 percent.

Previous
31.1%
1998

Current
31.6%
1999

Provided by National Science Foundation/SRS as of December 2000.

---

ESBR Crime Demography Education Health SSBR

---

President and First Lady | Vice President and Mrs. Gore
Record of Progress | The Briefing Room
Gateway to Government | Contacting the White House | White House for Kids
White House History | White House Tours | Help
Privacy Statement

Help

Site Map

Graphic Version

T H E   W H I T E   H O U S E