Showcasing National Center for Education Statistics Data Across the Educational Landscape

AIR has a long-standing partnership with the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)—the primary statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Education—in analyzing a variety of complex data and creating engaging and digestible reports and products to highlight these data. 

For two decades, we worked closely with the Annual Reports group within NCES to develop and disseminate many of these reports and products. Annual Reports is responsible for producing the congressionally mandated Condition of Education, which provides a comprehensive overview of trends and developments in education using the latest data. 

This annual report draws heavily on data from two foundational compendium reports: the Digest of Education Statistics, a broad statistical reference covering all levels of education, and the Projections of Education Statistics, which forecasts key education statistics. The Annual Reports group also develops topical, in-depth statistical reports, which provide essential, evidence-based data and analyses.

AIR’s contributions have helped researchers, policymakers, educators, and the public better understand the condition and progress of education in the United States and, ultimately, improve outcomes for all students.
 

AIR's Expertise

Our nimble team of experts in the following areas responded to time-sensitive needs and shifting priorities with high-quality and innovative solutions throughout our partnership with the Annual Reports group.

• We provided insight and perspectives that helped determine what data were collected and how best to disseminate them. 
• We distilled complex data sets into easily usable products that highlighted important trends and comparisons.
• We streamlined and updated processes to manage workflows with NCES and other contributors.  
• We created high-quality, innovative products, including infographics, videos, and interactive graphics and dashboards, to showcase NCES data.
• We promoted NCES data and products in engaging and creative ways to reach a variety of audiences.

AIR’s capacity to integrate these various components is showcased in the many annual and one-time reports we helped produce and disseminate over the years with the Annual Reports group. Reports like the Condition of Education, the Digest of Education Statistics, Indicators of School Crime and Safety, and A Retrospective Look at U.S. Education Statistics highlight our vast knowledge of the various interrelated facets of education. 
 

Digging Deep: Topical Studies

In comparison to one-time reports, topical studies provide a more nuanced and in-depth look at aspects of education that were of particular interest at the time they were produced. Because of their timeliness and relevance, these Annual Reports' topical studies provided data that informed decision-making across the landscape of education. 

• Education Across America: Cities, Suburbs, Towns, and Rural Areas
• Trends in High School Dropout and Completion Rates in the United States
• School Choice in the United States
• State Education Practices
• Student Access to Digital Learning Resources Outside of the Classroom
• Higher Education: Gaps in Access and Persistence Study
• America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being
   

Responding to Change

In many instances, AIR responded quickly to developments in the field of education. For example:

• In response to the unprecedented challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, AIR helped NCES develop a dashboard to provide a composite, high-level view of the complex American education landscape since the onset of the pandemic. The data from this dashboard helped both educators (at the school, district, and state levels) and parents to better understand the impacts of the pandemic on students and the education system.
• In response to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) mandating that the Institute of Education Sciences examine the distribution of Title I funds to understand how funding formulas affect school districts, AIR helped develop a report titled Study of the Title I, Part A Grant Program Mathematical Formulas.
• In response to President Obama’s goal that by 2020, the United States would once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world, AIR supported the creation of the United States Education Dashboard, which served to monitor progress toward this goal.
• In response to President Obama’s launching of the My Brother’s Keeper initiative in 2014, AIR helped improve the accessibility of data that highlight the challenges and accomplishments of young people progressing through the education system and entering the labor force.