Chapter 10: Education Policy
Exercises
1. Statistics in Education Quality
The Department of Education's National Center of Education Statistics (NCES) allows individuals to examine all sorts of data and information about quality indicators and other issues. In this exercise, you will examine several of these.
- Go to The Nation's Report Card (sponsored by the National Assessment of Educational Progress) on the NCES site.
- Select "State Profiles" and click on your state. Note some of the characteristics initially provided, including the number of school districts and each district's racial background. What is the state's per pupil expenditure? The pupil/teacher ratio? Continue down the page and examine the standardized testing scores. How do they compare with the national average? Are the state's scores improving? Select a different state and answer these same questions. Compare the results from the two states.
- Select "Analyze Data" and then either "Quick Start" or "Advance." From here you can select a number of criteria and consider what factors might affect test scores. In other words, you can explore possible correlations between test scores and other variables. For example, select "Reading" under the Subject heading; "Grade 8" under the Grade heading; "National" under the State/Jurisdiction heading; and "Major Reporting Groups" under the Category heading. Choose "Continue." How do reading scores vary by gender? How does the amount of TV viewing affect reading scores? Now select your own series of variables to see what affects test scores. Before you look at the results, think about what you expect the relationship to be and why. Does the data support your expectations? If so, how? If not, how were the results different from your expectations?
2. Examining Higher Education Data
In this exercise you will compare two states using a number of variables relating to higher education.
Go to the Postsecondary Education Opportunity site. This organization conducts research on higher education issues. None of the material you will use is password protected.
- Find your state on the map and click on it. Click on the link "Bachelor Degrees Awarded to Men and Women." What can you say about the total number of individuals attending college? What about the percentage of men and women? Is there a trend evident? Now click on the "Opportunity Data Book." The tabs at the bottom of the sheet allow you to access a variety of information. What is the college participation rate for your state and its national ranking? What is the state appropriation for higher education per $1000 of income? What has been the trend in this funding over the last five years? The last ten years? How do these figures compare to the funding provided twenty years ago?
- Go back to the map at Postsecondary Education Opportunity. Click on another state and answer these same questions.
- What can you say about higher education in these two states? Which state appears to be educating a greater percentage of students? Which state seems to be more supportive of higher education? What may be the reasons for the differences between the two states you selected?