Fast Facts
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American 15 year-olds’ math skills rank 25th internationally
"Highlights from PISA 2006: Performance of U.S. 15-Year-Old Students in Science and Mathematics Literacy in an International Context.” The National Center for Education Statistics (2007)
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Someone with a college degree makes 73% more over a lifetime than someone with only a high school degree
NELS 1988: Baum and Payea, “Education Pays: the Benefits of Higher Education for Individuals and Society,” (2004), The College Board
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A high school dropout is 5-8x more likely to be incarcerated than a college graduate
Enrico Moretti, “Crime and the Costs of Criminal Justice.” The Price We Pay, 2007; Pew Center on the States, “One in 100: Behind Bars in America 2008”
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A 10% increase in high school graduation rates would reduce murder rates in the United States by 20%
“The Effect of Education on Crime,” National Bureau of Economic Research Working Papers
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Reading and math scores improved 40 to 50% faster with teachers who reported high levels of parent outreach and participation
The Longitudinal Evaluation of School Change and Performance in Title I Schools.
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Of the 1,485,000 bachelor's degrees conferred in 2005–06, the largest numbers of degrees were conferred in the fields of business (318,000), social sciences and history (161,000), and education (107,000).
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2008
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The number of mathematics degrees declined by 12 percent between 1995–96 and 2000-01, but then rose 32 percent between 2000-01 and 2005–06. Some technical fields experienced sustained increases in degrees conferred from 1995–96 through 2005–06.
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2008
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For the 2007–08 academic year, annual prices for undergraduate tuition, room, and board were estimated to be $11,578 at public institutions and $29,915 at private institutions. Between 1997–98 and 2007–08, prices for undergraduate tuition, room, and board at public institutions rose by 30 percent, and prices at private institutions rose by 23 percent, after adjustment for inflation.
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2008
