NCES

Blue concept image of research - promo
iStock/Getty
Federal What Works Clearinghouse: Inside 20 Years of Education Evaluation
After two decades of the What Works Clearinghouse, research experts look to the future.
Sarah D. Sparks, July 24, 2024
4 min read
Two students in a combined second- and third-grade class read together.
Allison Shelley for All4Ed
English Learners The English-Learner Student Population, in Charts
The English learner population continues to grow including in states not historically recognized for this cohort of students.
Ileana Najarro, June 19, 2024
3 min read
Peggy Carr, Commissioner of the National Center for Education, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press about the National Assessment of Education Process on Oct. 21, 2022, in Washington.
Peggy Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press about the National Assessment of Education Process on Oct. 21, 2022, in Washington. Carr is facing scrutiny over allegations of improper spending by a North Carolina charter for which she serves as vice chair and landlord.
Alex Brandon/AP
School Choice & Charters Lead NAEP Official Faces Scrutiny Over Improper Spending Alleged at N.C. Charter School
Peggy Carr, the National Center for Education Statistics' head, is vice chair of the school's board and part-owner of school properties.
Mark Lieberman, December 15, 2023
7 min read
Miranda Pichardo, 6, reads with her mother, Karina, on Oct. 19, 2016, in Spring, Texas. Miranda's parents are fighting for Miranda, who has Down Syndrome, to be included more in "regular" classes where her parents feel she can develop much faster compared to the special education classroom. Students in special education have doubled in the last four decades, according to federal data.
Miranda Pichardo, 6, reads with her mother, Karina, on Oct. 19, 2016, in Spring, Texas. Miranda's parents are fighting for Miranda, who has Down Syndrome, to be included more in "regular" classes where her parents feel she can develop much faster compared to the special education classroom. Students in special education have doubled in the last four decades, according to federal data.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP
Special Education The Number of Students in Special Education Has Doubled in the Past 45 Years
The number of students in special education in the U.S. has doubled, from 3.6 million in 1976-77 to almost 7.3 million in 2021-22.
Eesha Pendharkar, July 31, 2023
4 min read
Image of staffing shortages.
wildpixel/iStock/Getty
Recruitment & Retention What the Research Says What School Staffing Shortages Look Like Now
The latest federal data suggest districts will need more targeted approaches to fill the broad array of openings.
Sarah D. Sparks, September 27, 2022
3 min read
Education Funding What America Spends on K-12: The Latest Federal Snapshot
About 93 percent of K-12 spending came from state and local sources in 2019-20—but more-recent year totals will reflect federal relief aid.
Mark Lieberman, May 11, 2022
2 min read
Image of a student reading in the library.
Allison Shelley for American Education: Images of Teachers and Students in Action
Reading & Literacy Is the Bottom Falling Out for Readers Who Struggle the Most?
A growing proportion of 4th and 8th graders read at the lowest level on national tests. Experts are working to understand why.
Sarah D. Sparks, June 15, 2021
5 min read
Image shows empty desks in a classroom.
Chris Ryan/OJO Images
School & District Management Most Schools Offer at Least Some In-Person Classes, According to Feds' Latest Count
A majority of 4th and 8th graders had at least some in-person schooling by March, but inequities persisted.
Sarah D. Sparks, May 6, 2021
3 min read
Photograph of a young girl reading, wearing headphones and working at her desk at home with laptop near by.
iStock/Getty Images Plus
Federal Feds' First Survey of Pandemic Learning Finds Nearly Half of Students Taught Remotely
The baseline survey also shows huge variation in how much daily "live" instruction 4th and 8th graders were getting in January.
5 min read
School & District Management States Raise 'Proficient' Bar on Tests in Last 10 Years, Study Finds
Most states have raised their expectations for what constitutes proficiency on state math and reading tests in the last decade, according to a new study.
Catherine Gewertz, August 21, 2019
2 min read
Education K-12 Spending Climbed From 2015 to 2016, NCES Reports
The National Center for Education Statistics found that school district spending increased by more than 2 percent between 2015 and 2016, the result of a surging economy, and overall K-12 spending increased by 3.2 percent.
Daarel Burnette II, May 9, 2019
2 min read
Early Childhood How Children's Socioeconomic Differences Play Out Over Summer Break
A new report from the National Center for Education Statistics shows how access to summer activities differs for students based on their socioeconomic status.
Sasha Jones, May 22, 2018
1 min read
Federal Trump Taps Stanford Researcher for NCES Commissioner
Trump has appointed James Lynn Woodworth to the top post at the National Center for Education Statistics.
Alyson Klein, January 4, 2018
1 min read
This print, published by the American Chromo Co. in 1872, shows an interior scene in a school classroom, a child, at right center, is being admonished by both the teacher, seated on a platform at center of the background, and a woman, possibly the child's mother, seated on a bench in the left foreground. The boy does not seem care; it is possibly his lack of initiative that has both teacher and parent concerned.
This print, published by the American Chromo Co. in 1872, shows an interior scene in a school classroom, a child, at right center, is being admonished by both the teacher, seated on a platform at center of the background, and a woman, possibly the child's mother, seated on a bench in the left foreground. The boy does not seem care; it is possibly his lack of initiative that has both teacher and parent concerned.
American Chromo Company via Library of Congress
Assessment What 150 Years of Education Statistics Say About Schools Today
Even before there was a federal education department, there was a federal education statistics agency. The National Center for Education Statistics turns 150 this year and a look at its studies over those years shows just how much American schooling has grown and changed.
Sarah D. Sparks, November 16, 2017
6 min read