NCES
Federal
Obama Names His Pick for Statistics Chief ... Finally
President Obama has named Jack Buckley as his choice for the long-empty post of commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics.
Assessment
NCES Finds States Lowered 'Proficiency' Bar
Proficiency standards became less rigorous from 2005 to 2007 in a number of states, says a study by the National Center for Education Statistics.
Federal
Taking a Pulse on "The Condition of Education"
The U.S. Education Department offers a buffet of education data in its latest Condition of Education report.
Education
Mark Schneider Resigns as NCES Commissioner
Mark Schneider, who has served as director of the U.S. Department of Education’s top statistical office since 2005, is resigning from his post to take a job at a leading Washington research organization.
School Choice & Charters
NCES Commissioner Is Co-Author of Book on Charter Schools
When Mark S. Schneider began working on a book about charter schools several years ago, he was a political science professor at Stony Brook University—and a relative unknown in Washington.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
NCES Projects Education Statistics for 2015
Enrollment in U.S. public and private elementary and secondary schools will have increased by 6 percent from 2003 to 2015, and the number of high school graduates will have as well, according to new projections by the National Center for Education Statistics.
School Choice & Charters
NCES Calls for Sticking to the Stats
In discussing a new federal study on charter schools last week, the commissioner of statistics for the U.S. Department of Education reiterated that his office should not be initiating analyses such as that one and a recent comparison of public and private schools, both of which he believes rely too much on subjective judgments.
Assessment
Federal Statistics Commissioner Questions NCES Involvement in Private vs. Public School Study
The commissioner of the statistical arm of the U.S. Department of Education says his office should not have issued a recent, heavily publicized study comparing the academic performance of public and private school students because the report relied on a subjective analysis that could lead outsiders to question the research center’s impartiality.
Education
A State Capitals Roundup
NCES Counts Librarians As an Instructional Cost
The National Center for Education Statistics has changed its definition of what constitutes an instructional cost, making it easier for states to declare they allocate 65 percent or more for instructional costs, as called for under a policy idea that backers have dubbed the “65 percent solution.”
Federal
Fla. Urges Comparable Teacher-Compensation Reporting
Florida education officials are crying “unfair” about the way teachers’ salaries are reported, and they want the federal government to do something about it.
Education
A Washington Roundup
Senate Confirms Head of NCES
The Senate has confirmed Mark S. Schneider as commissioner for the National Center for Education Statistics.
Education
A Washington Roundup
Bush Names Whitehurst to Be Acting NCES Chief
President Bush has announced that he will designate Grover J. “Russ” Whitehurst as the acting commissioner of education statistics.
Mathematics
NCES to Examine Content Of Algebra 1 Courses
Despite its increasing importance in schools, many observers say there is little uniformity in how the Algebra 1 course is taught, or what students are expected to learn while taking it.
Teaching
More in College Taking Remedial Courses, NCES Says
More students today are taking at least one year of remedial coursework upon reaching college than five years ago, according to a report from the National Center for Educational Statistics.