School Figures presents the most recent statistics, along with historical trends and cross-sectional comparisons, and thus provides a clear, factual picture of today's educational landscape. Organized in a concise and understandable format featuring numerous tables, charts, and graphs, the book provides a unique visual picture of the facts on K–12 issues.

Each chapter presents surprising facts on key, much-debated areas of K–12 education, including

• School demographics: children in public schools are actually receiving more, not less, individualized attention
• Family/student demographics: when it comes to a good education, family may matter most
• Teachers: teacher certification is not necessarily a quality guarantee and for some is a deterrent
• Cost and finance: expenditures may not matter as much as allocation—and when it comes to achievement, the largest source of federal aid to schools has not made a bit of difference
• Testing and achievement: secondary school math and English test scores are not commensurate with the time spent learning these subjects—and while homework matters, the amount of television watched may matter more
• Public school reform: school choice means more-involved parents—which means higher-achieving students
• Alternative education routes: home schooling is the fastest growing alternative to public schooling—and a good one at that

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