The Condition of Education: 1981 Edition. Statistical Report.

Overview & Synopsis

In six chapters and 118 tables with interpretive charts, this annual report presents data on the American educational system, including its students, its personnel, and its larger social context. Among its many findings are that Hispanics and students in central cities showed the highest dropout rates; that almost as many female as male high school students expect to go to graduate school; and that higher education costs did not grow appreciably as a percentage of median family income in the l970s. The topics covered in the report include educational level, public or private control, educational broadcasting, educational participation and attainment, public concerns about education, school organizational structure, enrollment, curricula, financing, school performance, teacher salaries, access to higher education, graduates and degrees, vocational programs, educational status of the labor force, school-to-work transition, youth unemployment, and handicapped students and programs. The authors control for such variables as sex, age, ethnic group, rural/urban residence, geographic region, family socioeconomic and educational background, English language facility, student-teacher ratio, school size, and funding sources. Attached to the report are a cumulative index for the four annual reports from 1978 through 1981 and an appendix giving data sources and definitions of terms. (Author/RW)