Report Highlights

Trends in Reading and Math

• The percentage of states that reported annual gains in reading from 1999 to 2001 declined each year in grades 4, 5, and 10. A few more states reported gains for 2001 in the 8th grade than in 2000, however.
• Since 1990, U.S. students have registered test-score gains in several math areas, especially problem-solving, geometry, and data analysis. But computation skills have been flat at best, and there is some evidence that they have declined.
• In grades 4, 5, 8, and 10, fewer states reported gains in math scores in 2001 than in 2000.

High School Culture and Athletics

• American students encounter two distractions in high school that other nations minimize: part-time work and sports. A survey of 562 U.S. and international students who participated in foreign exchange programs found that more than one- third of U.S. students work in jobs at least five hours a week, compared with only 9 percent of their counterparts in other countries.
• Academically high-achieving athletic powerhouses are located in relatively wealthy neighborhoods and serve predominantly white, non-Hispanic populations.
• Urban schools that are deemed athletic powerhouses score no better or worse than schools that are not powerhouses and serve similar populations.

Charter School Achievement

• Though more research is needed, the authors say, the charter schools studied for the report scored significantly below regular public schools on achievement tests.

• Urban charter schools exhibit higher achievement than suburban or rural charters.

• Larger charters scored higher than smaller charters;

• Charters already existing in 1999 scored higher than charters opening their doors for the first time that year.