DOCUMENT RESUME ED 264 638 EA 017 932 AUTHOR Goodman, Leroy V., Ed. TITLE The Education Almanac, 1985-1986. Facts and Figures about Our Nation's System of Education. Second Edition. INSTITUTION National Association of Elementary School Principals, Alexandria, VA. PUB DATE 85 NOTE 297p. AVAILABLE FROMPublication Sales, National Association of Elementary School Principals, 1615 Duke Street, Alexandria,VA 22314 ($14.95 prepaid). PUB TYPE Reference Materials - General (130) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC12 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Court Litigation; Educational Attitudes; Educational Change; Educational Finance; Educational History; Educational Trends; *Elementary Secondary Education; Enrollment; Federal Aid; Federal Programs; Microcomputers; National Organizations; Periodicals; School Law; School Support; Statistical Data; Tables (Data); Teacher Employment; Teachers; Yearbooks ABSTRACT A wide range of facts, figures, and background information about the operation of schools inthe United States is collected in this reference work. Materialon various topics is presented in the form of essays, lists, statisticaltables, charts, and brief descriptive articles. Among the topicsaddressed are efforts toward educational reform, currP:-.t issuesand trends in education, the character and 'istory of Anericaneducation, enrollment trends, teacher characteristics andemployment trends, microcomputer use, educational finance, and thestatus of education in each of the states. Other topicsare major national educational organizations, periodicals, and significant individuals;important federal agencies and programs; other nationalprograms; and recent court decisions affecting school law. Additional topicsinclude television, libraries, public relations, significantdates, and even jokes and quotes with educational themes. (PGD) *********************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRSare the best that can be made * * from the original document. * *********************************************************************** THE EDUCATION ALMANAC 1985-1986 U.S. DWPANTININT OF EDUCATION NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION "TM! *ION TO REPRODUCE THIS EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES iNTORMATiON MA RIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY CENTER (ERIC) 14 This document has been mproduced as mimed from ttgr wow or orgemmuon originating it. 13 Minor changes hays been mods to away* reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated In this docu- TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES ment do not necessarily repiseem officio% NM Ralston or poky, INFORMATION CENTER (EFIIC)," Facts and Figures About Our Nation 1111, System of Education THE EDUCATION ALMANAC 1985-1986 Facts and Figure About Our Nation's System of Education .1\Aiti.? Prepared and Published by National Association of ElementarySchool Principals 3 ii Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 85-060359 International Standard Serial Number (ISSN 0747.5772) National Association of Elementary School Principals 1920 Association Drive Reston, VA 22091 Executive Director: Samuel G. Sava Copyright ©1985 by the National Association of Elementary School Principals Editor: Leroy V. Goodman Contributing Editors. John H. Wherry, Virginia M. Ross, Jim Stimson, Story Moorefield, Mary Massey, Anne Lewis, Lillian M Goodman, Sherry i reeland, June Cook, RichardD. Bagin, Ashton Alvis Production: M. Rita Brown, Lee Greene, Charlotte Marson, Ellen Matthews, Carolyn Pool Typography: Scott Photographics, Inc. Printing: Ken Wirsing, VMW Printing, Inc. Printed in the United States of America The EducationAlmanac iii 1985-1986 This is the second edition of The (1984) edition. More are warmly Education Almanac, plannedas a invited, particularly in regard to continuingly revised and renewed information that might be included reference tool that brings togethera in future editions. wide range of facts, figures, and All such suggestions will be background information about the carefully studied. Staff limitations operation of America's schools. make it impossible, however, to The editors are grateful for the guarantee a response to such numerous valuable suggestions and comments or to questions about the comments generated by the initial, contents. 0, - ..14 '4110 .1:& 5 PP!" A N . AMERICAN SELECTION Of :tieffons iiLReading andSpeaking. CALCULATED TO IMPROVE the MINDSand It`EFIN the TASTE, of YOUTH': Aso A IC,. To inaruetthemikthecrAi OISTORys and POLITICS OfAi ttlieD STATES, TO WHIG} AIR HUMID, f. U LIs 'ELOCLI +JON,andDIRECTIONSfor expref. fing the principal Passions of the M x a. s'ixo e THIRDPART of a Gtiati4iTicAt. INsTirdtt of the Eximiski LAWGUA0E. ---, Y NOAH. VIEB'STERrjun. Lsiputs. trraoo of,, DOSPISTATIONSon theENGLISH LAN. GUAOSir " CoLlicTIoNof Esr..sYs end Fitourive W.. IITINGS."ice. i, 3 el'0 *--.----7 Moms and Andrews's THIRDEI5ITION.. With -many COniScTIons end suynovistieTs, by the AUTHOR. -8, Seim w;th the Infant in hie Cradle t.Letthe &ft Word be Hips b.WASIIINGTOCL".Mist Assets. 6 BEST COPYAVAILABLE Contents Foreword vii Education's Newsiest Issues 1 The "Excellence" Movement 8 Charts of Recommendations 11 What's Right with American Education 13 America's Unique System of Education 19 A Brief History of American Education 23 Some Vital Education Statistics 32 Enrollments 35 Tables and Charts 37 Education Profiles of the States 55 What the Polls Say about Public Education 108 Microcomputers in the Schools 118 Meet the Nation's Teachers and Principals 122 Three Polls of Teachers and Principals 125 Major National Education Organizations 128 Recent Court Rulings Affecting the Schools 149 Selected Education Periodicals ; 161 Quotable Comments on Education 169 CONTENTS vi Some Emerging Educational Trends 174 The U.Department of Education 176 Federal Programs to Aid Elementary and Secondary Education 179 ERIC: Education's Burgeoning Resource File 191 Head Start: A New Lease on Life 194 Preschool Education: State Support Grows 196 The Magnet School Movement 199 Education in Canada 200 Toward A-1 K-8 Schools 203 About Homework 205 TV: The Semimarvelous Educational Medium 206 The American Library 210 Current Books on Education 213 PRAn Education Priority 218 Landmark Dates in American Education 224 Pathfinders in Education 230 Special Occasions for 1985 237 The National Assessment of Educational Progress 248 ED's Education Indicators 250 The National Teacher of the Year Program 252 American Education Week 253 National Distinguished Principals Program 254 The Pledge of Allegiance 255 Frequently Told Jokes at Education Conventions 256 Calendars for 1985, 1986 258 Index 260 8 Foreword VII School Reform: Missing the Boat by Samuel G. Sava Executive Director, NAESP he first of the course." Students in England, various task force Germany, Japan, and other reports on industrialized nations attend school educationthat of from 220 to 240 days a year, the National compared to 180 days for American Commission on Excellence in students. Foreign students are Educationappeared in April requiredto take courses in 1983. While it is too early to render advanced mathematics, biology, a verdict on the reforms engendered chemistry, physics, and geography, by those reports, it is not premature and to devote three times asmany to comment on their class hours to these subjectsas even recommendations in light of other the most science-oriented students research. in the U.S. In 1980, only eight Among the findings of the reform American states required schools to commissions were these: the offer foreign language instruction, proportion of American high school 35 required only one year of math students taking a vocationalor or science, and in 13 states, 50 college preparatory program percent or more of the credits dropped from 88 percent in 1964 to required for a high school diploma 58 percent in 1979; the rest takea could be chosen by the student. "general" program, which the These findings led to a broad National Commission characterized array of proposed reforms: tougher as "a cafeteria-style curriculum in curricula, with fewer electives; a which the appetizers and desserts longer school day and schoolyear; can easily be mistaken for the higher admissions standards among 9 FOREWORD =Mk viiiteacher-education institutions, and countries who have been attending a reduction in pedagogical courses school 240 days a year from the age in favor of substantive courses in of 5. other disciplines; and better As one principal expressed the management of the school day to matter, "The kids who will do the reduce time spent on discipline and extra homework don't need it, and classroom routines, and to the ones who need it won't do it." maximize "time on task." Age 15 is late to hope for even Though the panels differed in the modest change in a human's emphasis assigned each item, their attitude toward school, let alone recommendations were markedly radical change. similar in one respect: virtually all focused on the high schools. Common sense:As might be Certainly we must do the best we expected of adults concerned about can, within the relatively brief the nation's ambiguous economic period left to them, to strengthen fortunes, the members of the the academic and vocational reform panels laid heavy stress on preparation of our older students. disciplines readily convertible into Yet the near-total focus on industrial advantage, that is, higher secondary schooling, and the math, the sciences, computer near-total disregard of elementary literacy, and foreign languages. Yet schooling, flies in the face of the building blocks of math and human nature, common