Data use and decision-making--these two phrases have appeared together in probably hundreds of education articles and have been the topic of a host of presentations during the past decade. In addition, research studies have confirmed the importance of data-informed decision-making to school improvement. Thus, school leaders have found it makes…

Reproduces selected text, charts, and tables from the National Center for Education Statistics 1982 report, "The Condition of Education," by Nancy Dearman and Valena Plisko. In the 1980s the numbers of preprimary and elementary school children are projected to rise while the secondary school age group will shrink. (Author/JM)

Data in this article were compiled from a number of sources by the U. S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Categories covered include: elementary enrollment, pre-primary enrollment, parent and family involvement, international comparisons of fourth and eighth graders' performance in mathematics and science,…