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October 10th, 2005

The United States government’s National Center for Educational Statistics keeps track of the issues and data that affect the students, parents, teachers and administrators participating in the school system that ostensibly prepares them for the rest of their lives.  Some of what they reveal about attitudes and daily life in American elementary and high schools will shock the general public – whether for good or for ill – and open their eyes about what there is to know about the education system straight from the people that are impacted most.

1. 24% of public schools consider bullying a daily or weekly issue. : For the 2005-2006 school year, the National Center for Educational Statistics reported that 24% of public schools believed that bullying was a serious issue occurring on a daily or weekly basis. Most of these did not involve instances of serious violence, but rather verbal harassment and minor physical altercations such as spitting and shoving. Beyond that, 18% of principals stated that students verbally harassed and intimidated their own teachers as well, with 9% moving into the realm of outright abuse.

2. 12% of high school students have been in a fight on campus grounds. : By comparison, 39% of students in grades 9 to 12 admitted to getting into a fight anywhere – not just school – in 2007. This is actually an increase from 2003, where 33% of students reported fighting at some point in their school careers – though both represent a significant decrease from the 42% in 1997. 16% of males had fought on campus versus the 9% of females, and freshmen and sophomores were more likely to engage in such violent behaviors than juniors and seniors.

3. 6% of high school students have brought a weapon to school. : Beyond that, 18% of high school students (grade 9 through 12 brought up that they had carried a knife, gun, or bludgeon anywhere. This actually marks a positive change, as in 1993, 12% of high school students confessed to bringing a weapon to school. No matter what year, though, males are always 3 times more likely to bring a weapon to school and beyond than females. 9% of males brought weapons to school in 2007, as opposed to 3% of females. 29% of high-school aged males carried a weapon anywhere, whereas only 7% of females did.

4. 4% of underage students have consumed an alcoholic beverage on campus. : However, the numbers skyrocket when underage high school students discussed their alcohol consumption anywhere, with a whopping 45% admitting as such. This poll, though, failed to take into account cultural elements that allow high school students to legally drink with the consent of their parents or legal guardians. There are few gender delineations when it comes to consuming alcohol on or off campus, surprisingly. 5% of males admitted to drinking at school, as did 4% of females, with 45% of both confessing to off-campus indulgence.

5. 4% of high school students have used marijuana on campus. : 20% of high school students reported that they used marijuana anywhere within 30 days of the poll, which marks a decline from 1995 where 25% answered in the affirmative. 6% of males in 2007 used marijuana at school, as did 4% of females. 22% of males did so anywhere, but only 17% of females. There has actually been very little fluctuation up or down when compared to previous polls, with any differences negligible at best. The biggest difference in demographics lay between grade levels, with 9th graders reporting the lowest amount of use at 15% and the highest amongst the 12th graders at 25%.

6. 99.6% of public schools have some form of internet access.: This statistic comes as a pleasant shock rather than a negative one, where reports of impoverished schools struggling to acquire the necessary resources for a comprehensive and effective education sadly trickle in on a regular basis. 100% of both town and rural schools had some form of internet access available to students in either classrooms or instructional rooms. 99.4% of city and 99.3% of suburban kids reported the same. Less than half of all of these public schools, however, feature wireless connections.

7. 30 million American adults are considered “below basic” functioning when it comes to literacy. : Although literacy rates slowly improve over time, 14% of American adults tragically function far below the average reading and comprehension skills. 55% of these did not graduate from high school, 21% sadly suffer from multiple learning disabilities, and 44% never spoke English prior to beginning their education. 11 million adults, for statistical reasons, can be considered “nonliterate in English.” For comparison’s sake, 63 million (29% of American adults sit at the basic level of functioning, 95 million (44% are in the intermediate range, and 28 million (13% are considered proficient.

8. An average of 4.4 public school teachers per district per year do not renew their contracts. : Fortunately, however, the average school district employs 211.4 teachers, so those considered poor performers constitute the vast minority. Teachers unions and associations strike collective bargaining agreements with 54% of school districts and meet-and-confer agreements with 11%. As of 2007, school districts hired an average of 22.4 new teachers per year, with a spread of 2.1 in ones with less than 250 students and 206.2 in those with 10,000 or more. The average salary for a teacher in the American public education system is $34,000 on the lower end and $60,400 on the higher end.

9. 43 violent deaths occurred at public schools between 2007 and 2008. : In spite of their rarity, no matter how many violent deaths happen in or near a public school has a negative and tragic impact on the surrounding community. The 43 fatalities between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008 were not all students, but staff members, teachers, and guests of the school. Homicide comprised the majority of these instances, with 36 of the 43 considered as such. 6 of them were determined as suicides, and 1 requiring a legal intervention.

10. 31% of schools take serious disciplinary action for fights. : “Serious disciplinary action” in the poll indicated a suspension lasting for 5 days or more, transfer to an alternative school, or complete removal. School districts also laid such measures on other infractions as well, with 21% for insubordination (the most common offense in almost any school, 19% for drug-related issues, 15% for possession of weapons outside of firearms or explosives, 10% for alcohol-related issues, and 3% for possessing or discharging a firearm or explosive on campus. The 2007-2008 school year saw 797,000 total serious disciplinary actions, with 76% as suspensions for upwards of 5 days, 19% as transfers to specialized schools, and 5% as complete removals from the school with no access to any services for the remainder of the year.

11. 34% of teachers report student disruptions that interfere with class. : Multiple studies have proven that persistent behavioral disruptions in a classroom correlates with future underachievement and prevents fellow students from reaching their full academic potential. Public school teachers reported higher number of incidents of misbehavior than their private school counterparts, at 36% and 21%, respectively. A similar gap also appeared with cases of tardiness and ditching class, with 33% for public school teachers and 18% for private. Secondary school teachers faced the most problems with poor discipline over those educating primary students. 39% of high school teachers reported that classroom misbehavior interrupted their teaching, and 45% considered tardiness and class cutting an unwelcome distraction for themselves and their students. By contrast, 33% of elementary school teachers reported the same for ill behavior and 26% for lateness and skipping classes.

12. Almost every student reports witnessing some security measure at their school. : On a more positive note, almost every student, teacher, and staff member polled across the United States stated that they were aware of some sort of security measure on-campus to keep everyone safe and secure. 96% of schools have a code of student conduct, and 94% require guests to sign in before being admitted into areas with children or teachers. 69% of students reported that they were aware of security guards and police officers in the hallways, and 66% of them know of security cameras.

13. 85% of public schools report some crime committed on campus. : Crimes typically committed on campus include, but are not limited to, instances of violence, theft, and drug or alcohol infractions. No matter the seriousness of the offense, some sort of illegal activity has taken place at 85% of American schools with a total of around 2 million crimes total in the 2007-2008 school year. The National Center for Educational Statistics places this number at around 43 crimes per every 1,000 student. However, only 62% of the schools reported any of these offenses to the proper authorities.

14. 22% of high school students have immediate access to illegal substances on campus. : Thankfully, the rates of high school students being offered, sold, or indulging in illegal substances have dropped between 2005 and 2007, and both saw a significant decline from 1997. Drugs seem to be more accessible for males than females, with 26% of males stating that they knew where to find them as opposed to 19% of females. 10th graders tend to know where to get them the most rather than any other students at 25%, whereas 9th graders stood at 20% and 12th graders at 20%.

15. 79% of bullied students report being victimized inside their own school.: 32% of American students claim to have been bullied at some point during the year, with the aforementioned 79% taking place within school walls. Being made fun of is the most common offense, with 21% of bullied children claiming that as their main source of suffering. 18% are subjected to a multitude of rumors and lies, 11% were tripped, shoved, spit on, or other minor physical altercations, 6% received threats of bodily harm, 5% were told not to participate in activities for no reason, and 4% were pushed into doing something that made them uncomfortable that resulted in the destruction of someone else’s property.

16. 10% of students have been the victim of slurs at school. : Between the ages of 12 and 18, 10% of students find themselves on the receiving end of verbal attacks based on their sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, gender, religion, or disability. 6th graders make up the highest demographic of victims, with 12% reporting in, though the numbers begin to lower as students grow older. 11% each of 7th, 8th, and 9th graders were subjected to slurs, as have 9% of 10th graders, and 6% of 12th graders. Private school kids suffer from this less so than their public counterparts, with 6% having been called some sort of expletive.

17. 35% of students have witnessed hate-related graffiti at school. : Beyond the verbal name-calling, more students actually find themselves exposed to written slurs. Private school kids remain comparatively sheltered compared to those in public, with only 19% exposed to such graffiti during the year. No gender or racial delineations exist between those who saw hate words scrawled somewhere on campus, though Asian populations tended to see far less than others, while Caucasians saw the most. Any real differences between what races experience graffiti with hate messages, however, remain negligible at best.

18. 23% of students report some sort of gang activity at school. : More male students than female are aware of the gang activities at their schools, with 25% for the former to a surprisingly high 21% for the latter. Said activities include drug, alcohol, or weapon pushing, violence, disruptions, and actively recruiting new members. The majority of gang-related movements in the American education system occurred in high school, though some was reported in junior high as well. Private schools bore witness to far less gang activity than their public counterparts at only 5% in 2007.

19. 5% of students fear some sort of attack at school. : Schools really should stand as a safe home for students, most especially those who face broken, disruptive, or downright abusive families. Unfortunately, because of the widespread stories of violence and disruption from gangs and other sources, many students do not even feel secure in an educational setting. While 5% may not seem like much, that is 5% too many kids between the ages of 12 and 18 who live in anxiety of some sort of attack from a fellow student or outside assailant.

20. 7% of students avoid extracurricular activities for fear of attack at school. : Similar to the above example, many students also try to avoid different extracurricular activities such as clubs, plays, and sporting events. 3% of students refused to participate in anything school-related beyond the obligatory classes, whereas 6% only steered clear of certain areas of campus altogether. Stairs, hallways, cafeterias, and bathrooms stood as the places that students feared an attack the most. 8% of 6th graders reported their panic, making them the demographic most scared by the possibility of victimization.

Whether positive or negative, these statistics peel back the curtain and allow American citizens to glimpse into what concerns and relieves the students, parents, teachers, and administrators involved in the education system. Some of what the National Center for Educational Statistics will shock the populace and perhaps inspire them towards enacting social change that provides students with the safest, most gratifying academic experience possible.

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