U.S. Department of Education Invests Nearly $96 Million to Ensure All Students Have Same Opportunities to Learn, Achieve and Succeed

OCTOBER 2, 2014

VIA:U.S. Department of education 

Contact:   Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov

The U.S. Department of Education announced today nearly $96 million in grants to ensure every student—regardless of wealth, zip code, gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity or disability—has the same opportunities to learn and achieve.

These grants focus on closing equity and opportunity gaps for minority students attending colleges and universities across the country. Education is the engine of opportunity and the great equalizer for every student because it provides the clearest path to the middle class. That's why the Obama Administration has worked to ensure that there are ladders of opportunity for all students through a variety of programs, such as the Excellent Educators for All initiative and the President's My Brother's Keeper initiative.

"Ensuring that every student—from the wealthiest to the poorest and historically underserved—has access to a high-quality education is what our work is all about," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "We aren't just talking the talk; we are awarding millions of dollars in grants to help institutions better serve minority students through various programs and services."

The grants awarded by the Department are:

• Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program ($20,141,221)
• Strengthening Institutions Program ($22,998,921)
• The Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions Program ($16,360,038)
• Native Hawaiian Education Program ($10,054,780)
• Alaska Native Education Equity Program ($12,662,376)
• Promoting Post-baccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans Program ($10,625,456)
• Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program ($3,039,006)

The Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program provides grants to assist institutions of higher education (IHEs) in expanding educational opportunities for, and improve the attainment of, Hispanic students. These grants enable these institutions to expand and enhance their academic offerings, program quality and institutional stability.

The Strengthening Institutions Programs award funding to help eligible IHEs become self-sufficient and expand their capacity to serve low-income students by providing funds to improve and strengthen the academic quality, institutional management, and fiscal stability of eligible institutions.

The Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions program awards two-year grants to IHEs serving Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian students. The grants can be used for a wide range of activities such as faculty development and exchanges, curriculum development, counseling services, and the purchase or upgrading of library materials or laboratory equipment. To be eligible for grants through this program, an institution must have an undergraduate enrollment of at least 20 percent Alaska Native or 10 percent Native Hawaiian students.

The Native Hawaiian Education Program awards grants to support innovative projects that enhance the educational services provided to Native Hawaiians and to supplement and expand programs and authorities in the area of education. Types of projects supported by this program include early education and care programs, family-based education centers, beginning reading and literacy programs, activities to address the needs of gifted and talented native Hawaiian students, special education programs, professional development for educators, and activities to enable native Hawaiian students to enter and complete postsecondary education.

The Alaska Native Education Equity Program supports efforts to meet the unique educational needs of Alaska Natives by awarding competitive grants for innovative projects addressing the distinct educational needs of this student population. Along with educational institutions, eligible recipients include Alaska Native organizations and cultural and community-based groups.

The Promoting Post-baccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans Program provides grants to expand post-baccalaureate educational opportunities for, and improve the academic attainment of, Hispanic students. The program also provides funding to expand post-baccalaureate academic offerings, as well as enhance the quality of academic programs in IHEs that are educating and helping large numbers of Hispanic and low-income students complete postsecondary degrees.

The Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program helps colleges and universities assists predominantly minority institutions in effecting long-range improvement in science and engineering education programs, and increasing the flow of underrepresented ethnic minorities, particularly minority women, into science and engineering careers. The program also supports special projects designed to provide or improve support to accredited nonprofit colleges, universities and professional scientific organizations for a broad range of activities that address specific barriers that eliminate or reduce the entry of minorities into science and technology fields.

For breakdown of allocated funds, follow this link. 

American school statistics for 2014

Via: Fast Facts

Question:
What are the new Back to School statistics for 2014?

Response:

Elementary and Secondary Education

Enrollment

In fall 2014, about 49.8 million students will attend public elementary and secondary schools. Of these, 35.1 million will be in prekindergarten through grade 8 and 14.7 million will be in grades 9 through 12. An additional 5.0 million students are expected to attend private schools (source). The fall 2014 public school enrollment is expected to remain near the record enrollment level of fall 2013.

Of the projected 49.8 million students attending public elementary and secondary schools in fall 2014, White students will account for 24.8 million. The remaining 25.0 million will be composed of 7.7 million Black students, 12.8 million Hispanic students, 2.6 million Asian/Pacific Islander students, 0.5 million American Indian/Alaska Native students, and 1.4 million students of two or more races (source). The national percentage of students who are White is projected to be less than 50 percent in 2014. The percentage of White students is expected to continue declining as the enrollments of Hispanics and Asians/Pacific Islanders increase through at least fall 2023, the last year for which projections are available (source).

About 1.3 million children are expected to attend public prekindergarten in fall 2014; enrollment in public kindergarten is projected to reach approximately 3.7 million students (source).

In fall 2014, about 4.1 million public school students are expected to enroll in 9th grade—the typical entry grade for many American high schools(source).

Teachers

Public school systems will employ about 3.1 million full-time-equivalent (FTE) teachers in fall 2014, such that the number of pupils per FTE teacher—that is, the pupil/teacher ratio—will be 16.0. This ratio is not measurably different from the 2000 ratio of 16.0. A projected 0.4 million FTE teachers will be working in private schools this fall, resulting in an estimated pupil/teacher ratio of 12.5, which is lower than the 2000 ratio of 14.5(source).

Schools and Districts

In 2011–12, there were about 13,600 public school districts (source) with over 98,300 public schools, including about 5,700 charter schools(source). In fall 2011, there were about 30,900 private schools offering kindergarten or higher grades (source).

Expenditures

Current expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools are projected to be $619 billion for the 2014–15 school year. These expenditures include such items as salaries for school personnel, benefits, student transportation, school books and materials, and energy costs. The current expenditure per student is projected at $12,281 for the 2014–15 school year (source).

Attainment

About 3.3 million students are expected to graduate from high school in 2014–15, including 3.0 million students from public high schools and about 0.3 million students from private high schools (source).

The percentage of high school dropouts among 16- through 24-year-olds declined from 10.9 percent in 2000 to 6.6 percent in 2012 (source). Reflecting the overall decline in the dropout rate between 2000 and 2012, the rates also declined for Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics (source).

The percentage of students enrolling in college in the fall immediately following high school completion was 66.2 percent in 2012 (source). Females enrolled at a higher rate (71.3 percent) than males (61.3 percent) (source).

College and University Education

Enrollment

In fall 2014, some 21.0 million students are expected to attend American colleges and universities, constituting an increase of about 5.7 million since fall 2000 (source).

Females are expected to account for the majority of college students: about 12.0 million females will attend in fall 2014, compared with 9.0 million males. Also, more students are expected to attend full time than part time (an estimated 13.0 million, compared with about 8.0 million, respectively)(source).

About 7.3 million students will attend 2-year institutions and nearly 13.7 million will attend 4-year institutions. Some 18.0 million students are expected to enroll in undergraduate programs and about 3.0 million will enroll in postbaccalaureate programs (source).

Increases in the traditional college-age population and rising enrollment rates have contributed to the increase in college enrollment. Between 2000 and 2012, the 18- to 24-year-old population rose from approximately 27.3 million to approximately 31.4 million (source). The percentage of 18- to 24-year-olds enrolled in college also was higher in 2012 (41.0 percent) than in 2000 (35.5 percent) (source).

In 2012, there were about 13 million students under age 25 and 8 million students 25 years old and over. Both the number of younger and older students increased between 2000 and 2012 (source).

Increasing numbers and percentages of Black and Hispanic students are attending college. Between 2000 and 2012, the percentage of college students who were Black rose from 11.7 to 14.9 percent, and the percentage of students who were Hispanic rose from 9.9 to 15.0 percent(source). Also, the percentage of Black 18- to 24-year-olds enrolled in college increased from 30.5 percent in 2000 to 36.4 percent in 2012, and the percentage of Hispanics enrolled increased from 21.7 to 37.5 percent (source).

Finance

For the 2012–13 academic year, the average annual price for undergraduate tuition, fees, room, and board was $15,022 at public institutions, $39,173 at private nonprofit institutions, and $23,158 at private for-profit institutions. Charges for tuition and required fees averaged $5,899 at public institutions, $28,569 at private nonprofit institutions, and $13,766 at private for-profit institutions (source).

Attainment

During the 2014–15 school year, colleges and universities are expected to award 1.0 million associate’s degrees; 1.8 million bachelor's degrees; 821,000 master's degrees; and 177,500 doctor's degrees (source). In 2011–12, postsecondary institutions awarded 1.0 million certificates below the associate’s degree level, 1.0 million associate’s degrees, 1.8 million bachelor’s degrees, 754,000 master’s degrees, and 170,100 doctor’s degrees (source).

In 2012, about 73 percent of young adults ages 25–34 with a bachelor's or higher degree in the labor force had year-round, full-time jobs, compared with 65 percent of those with an associate's degree, 59 percent of those with some college education, 60 percent of high school completers, and 49 percent of those without a high school diploma or its equivalent (source). In 2013, a smaller percentage of young adults with a bachelor's degree or higher were unemployed than were their peers with lower levels of education (source).

In 2012, the median earnings for full-time year-round working young adults ages 25–34 with a bachelor's degree was $46,900, while the median was $22,900 for those without a high school diploma or its equivalent, $30,000 for those with a high school diploma or its equivalent, and $35,700 for those with an associate's degree. In other words, young adults with a bachelor's degree earned more than twice as much as those without a high school diploma or its equivalent (105 percent more) and 57 percent more than young adult high school completers. Additionally, in 2012 the median earnings for young adults with a master's degree or higher was $59,600, some 27 percent more than the median for young adults with a bachelor's degree (source).

For more information, please see the following:

• The Condition of Education: The annual report to Congress on important developments and trends in U.S. education.
• The Digest of Education Statistics: A compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of American education from prekindergarten through graduate school.
• State-level data resource page: Links to selected publications and websites that provide state-by-state information on achievement, attainment, demographics, enrollment, finances, and teachers at the elementary, secondary, and postsecondary levels.
• Projections of Education Statistics: This report provides projections for key education statistics, including enrollment, graduates, teachers, and expenditures in elementary and secondary schools.
• U.S. Department of Education program and budget information can be found here.
• U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey: The Current Population Survey (CPS) is a monthly survey of about 60,000 households conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The CPS is the primary source of information on labor force statistics and also contains information on enrollment and educational attainment.

Class of 2015 has the most student debt in U.S. history

 Article Via: Market Watch May 9, 2015

Getty Images - Lincoln Center Plaza, NYC

As college graduates begin to enter the real world this month, they can take cold comfort in the fact that just like the last several classes before them, they’ll have the most student debt in history.

The class of 2015 will each graduate with $35,051 in student debt on average, according to an analysis from Mark Kantrowitz, the publisher of Edvisors.com, a website that provides information to parents and students about college costs and financial aid. That’s about $2,000 more than their peers who graduated in 2014, though the share of students graduating with debt remained roughly the same as last year at about 70%.

A combination of stagnant wages, declining federal and state funding to schools on a per-student basis, and rising tuition has meant that families “have only two real choices” when it comes to paying for college: borrow more or try to send their kids to a cheaper school, said Kantrowitz.

“More of the burden of paying for school is shifting from the government to the students,” he said. As a result, students’ average debt at graduation is going up year after year, even accounting for inflation. “It’s like clockwork,” Kantrowitz said.

Mark Kantrowitz/Edvisors.com

Families looking to avoid saddling their college graduates with high levels of debt have a few options, Kantrowitz says. One is to start saving immediately, even if it’s just a year or two before a student plans to enter college. “Every dollar you save is a dollar less you’ll have to borrow,” he said. Families can also opt to pay tuition in smaller installments over shorter periods of time, instead of a lump sum at the start of the semester, which could help to reduce the need to borrow.

Still, only a systemic fix like increased federal funding for students and schools will stop the average debt from creeping up, Kantrowitz said. That idea is unlikely to take hold any time soon; Senate Republicans passed a budget earlier this week that would cut guaranteed funding for Pell Grants and reverse the growth in other programs aimed at helping poor students afford college, as part of a plan to cut more than $5 trillion in spending and balance the budget, the Washington Post reported Thursday.

“Increasingly we’re pricing lower and moderate income students out of a college education,” Kantrowitz said.