This data brief, featuring infographics, provides a statistical overview of students attending public schools in non-rural areas, such as cities, suburbs, and towns. It delivers essential information for school leaders, parents, educators, and other stakeholders and is updated annually.

In FY17, the School District of Palm Beach County (SDPBC) outperformed Florida and six other large urban school districts for the fourth consecutive year (FY14-FY17), and has consistently increased the graduation rate, including from FY16 to FY17. More importantly, the disparity between White students and their Black and Hispanic peers was reduced…

Our 32nd annual report analyzing data from southeast Wisconsin's public school districts finds progress on some college readiness indicators and largely positive showings on district report cards. Those results are offset, however, by discouraging results on standardized tests and continued substantial achievement gaps between students of…

This project focuses on the policies and practices of school boards (or mayors or others who govern public schools), and how their priorities can make a tangible difference in the academic success of kids living in poor communities. Instead of focusing on deficits of poverty, the researchers wanted to stress school board action as an effective…

For 24 consecutive years, the Public Policy Forum has compiled and analyzed data from southeastern Wisconsin's public school districts in order to better inform policymakers and the public about the effectiveness of the region's K-12 education system. This analysis of the 2009-10 academic year, like many of the previous reports, indicates cause…

To better understand the views of teachers and administrators on the high school dropout problem, focus groups and nationally representative surveys were conducted of high school teachers and principals. A focus group of superintendents and school board members was also included. To help interpret the results, the authors convened a colloquium…

The vast majority of American high school students say they want to attend college in order to pursue rewarding careers. Of students responding to the 2005 High School Survey of Student Engagement, 83 percent indicated that they expected to go to college. Despite high student aspirations, however, large achievement gaps persist among students by…

In this article, the author discusses what a superintendent can do to energize the faculty on opening day. He uses a creative approach in developing the opening day speech--and keeps the teachers guessing. Believing that the superintendent should not be the focal point of opening day, he instead gives teachers the opportunity to share their…