National Education Association
2002
The National Education Association's research department has put out this joint edition of two annual data sources, one ranking the states on a wide variety of quantitative education indicators in 2001, the other estimating some of the same statistics for states and the nation in 2002. There's tons of data here, much of it fairly accessible and much of it credible. Readers may not realize, for example, that average per-pupil public school spending has risen to an estimated $7425 in the current school year (not counting capital costs, interest payments, etc.) But some of the NEA's blind spots and policy agendas show up, too. There is nary a mention of charter schools, for example, and teacher pay figures do not include fringe benefits. If you'd like your very own copy, visit http://www.nea.org/nr/nr020408.html.
