American Institutes for Research Experts Play a Major Role in The Condition of Education 2013 Report
Washington, D.C. – A team of experts from the American Institutes for Research (AIR) played a major role in writing and producing The Condition of Education 2013, the annual statistical report on U.S. education released by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The congressionally mandated annual report summarizes important developments and trends in U.S. education using the latest available data.
Among many findings, this year’s Condition shows that, in 2012, about 90 percent of young adults ages 25 to 29 had a high school diploma or its equivalent, and 33 percent had a bachelor’s degree or higher. As in previous years, annual median earnings in 2011 were higher for those with higher levels of education—for example, 25- to 34-year-olds with a bachelor’s degree earned almost twice as much as those without a high school diploma or its equivalent and 50 percent more than high school completers.
AIR analysts authored many of the indicators found in the report by working with data from complex survey designs, conducting statistical analysis and testing, and writing key findings. AIR, which designed and produced the report, also developed tools to centralize communication among authors and reviewers.
Documented trends found in the report include enrollment rates in all levels of the education system, achievement in reading and mathematics, high school graduation rates, immediate transition to college, and economic outcomes of graduates. This year’s report presents 42 indicators in four main areas:
- population characteristics;
- participation in education;
- elementary and secondary education; and
- postsecondary education.
The 2013 Condition also features four Spotlights that provide a more in-depth look at specific topics of current interest. For example, the Spotlight on kindergarten entry status found that in fall 2010, about 6 percent of all kindergartners began school a year later than their scheduled start date, and that, for the most part, they outscored on-time and repeating kindergartners in reading, mathematics and science in the 2010-11 school year.
The full report is available online at http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/.
About AIR
Established in 1946, with headquarters in Washington, D.C., the American Institutes for Research (AIR) is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance both domestically and internationally in the areas of health, education, and workforce productivity. For more information, visit www.air.org.
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