The Condition of Education summarizes important developments and trends in education using the latest available data. The report, which is required by law, is an indicator report intended for a general audience of readers who are interested in education. The indicators represent a consensus of professional judgment on the most significant national measures of the condition and progress of education for which accurate data are available. The 2001 print edition includes 59 indicators in six main areas: (1) enrollment trends and student characteristics at all levels of the education system from preprimary education to adult learning; (2) student achievement and the longer term, enduring effects of education; (3) student effort and rates of progress through the educational system among different population groups; (4) the quality of elementary and secondary education in terms of courses taken, teacher characteristics, and other factors; (5) the context of postsecondary education; (6) and societal support for learning, including parental and community support for learning, and public and private financial support of education at all levels. Also in the 2001 edition is a special focus essay on the access, persistence, and success of first-generation students in postsecondary education.
