Iowa established the Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program (SVPP) in 2007. It has grown to be the largest--although not the only--public preschool program in the state. It is available without regard to family income. Iowa also supports preschool for low-income children through its Shared Visions program and Early Childhood Iowa, the…

Income growth and stagnation is discussed, several trends in income inequality among American families are examined, and the notion of a vanishing middle class that may be losing the college cost race is addressed. (MSE)

This demographic overview summarizes some major findings from national surveys reported by the Census Bureau in 1990. Statistical data are drawn from the Current Population Survey, the Survey of Income and Program Participation, and the American Housing Survey. The following trends are reported: (1) the decline in average household size begun in…

Public and private schooling have a roughly uniform effect on achievement, but variability among students' home and neighborhood environments mask the leveling effect. Includes an historical discussion of egalitarianism and stratification in American education. (PS)

A study gathered data that described recent changes in the economic well-being of U.S. workers and their families. Data, including family incomes, wages, fringe benefits, and employment, showed that, in 1987, after 5 years of recovery, the average worker was worse off economically than at the peak of the last business cycle. The typical family's…

Data from the Social Security Administration's Retirement History Study and a supplement to the 1968 Current Population Survey are discussed in terms of the relationship between (1) family size and residence, and (2) economic and educational status. It is shown that household heads who grew up as members of large families and/or as natives of…

This report examines the use of computers and the Internet by American children enrolled in nursery school and students in kindergarten through grade 12. The report examines the overall rate of use (that is, the percentage of individuals in the population who are users), the ways in which students use the technologies, where the use occurs (home,…

This briefing paper presents statistical evidence from a variety of data sources that the real income of the average U.S. household has been stagnant for a decade; primary causes are also examined. The major reasons identified for income stagnation are (1) declining real wages; (2) a less productive economy (economic growth has slowed down)…

This statistical brief provides an overview of Latino history in Nebraska and includes data tables that compare Latinos with other population groups in Nebraska and with Latinos in other parts of the Midwest. The first Europeans in the Midwest were Spanish, but they later abandoned their Midwest colonies, and today the Latinos in Nebraska are…

This report provides the most recent and complete statistics available on student aid in the 1980s. It revises figures presented earlier for the 1980s and, for the first time, gives estimates for academic year 1989-90. The data series upon which the report is based is intended to provide comparable statistics over time for the major providers of…

This paper focuses on sociological and demographic characteristics of Hispanics, particularly Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans living in the United States. Sections are organized around data tables and figures (based primarily on 1990 census data), with explanatory text, and cover minority populations in the United States, Latino…

Part of a series intended to highlight the implications for educational planning of the changing demography of the Southwestern United States, this report on California indicates that the greatest population growth in the next 20 years will occur among minority populations, whose rates of postsecondary educational attainment and socioeconomic…

Part of a series intended to highlight implications for educational planning of the changing demography of the Southwestern United States, this report on New Mexico indicates that the greatest population growth in the next 20 years will occur among minority populations, whose rates of postsecondary educational attainment and socioeconomic status…

Regional and state demographic profiles highlight social, economic, and educational characteristics of the Appalachian states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Data from 1979-82 are summarized and presented in charts, tables, and graphs. Regional and state social and economic profiles include population, urban/rural population,…

One in a series on southwestern states, this report deals with the underrepresentation of Hispanics and other racial and ethnic minorities in higher education and provides specific information concerning Arizona's population. Written for educational policy makers, the report focuses on the implications of the fact that the greatest population…