This 17th "Annual Condition of Education Report" provides a wide range of demographics, statistics, and student achievement data to help Iowans better understand their public educational system. Much of the data in this report demonstrates that Iowa schools rate above national averages in areas such as student test scores, college preparedness, graduation rates, health and safety, and teacher quality. However, it is recognized that public education faces increasing challenges as it strives to ensure all students are prepared for success after high school. Those challenges include meeting new and evolving expectations from business and industry, the impact of technology on student learning styles as well as teaching practices, providing more learning opportunities for students, and making more progress toward reduction of persistent achievement gaps. (Contains 154 figures and 178 tables.) [For the 2005 report, see ED492970.]