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Other Research

In addition to conducting its own research, BHEF understands the importance of tracking education research and news. In this section, you'll find information about recent studies and research relating to the issues central to BHEF's work.

Research Relating to BHEF's STEM Initiative

  • The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation recently awarded a $12 million grant supporting an Ohio STEM initiative . . . (April 2008)
  • The National Science Board has released to the public a draft action plan to address the country's critical needs in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education system, focused on greater coordination of STEM education (among states and through grade levels) and recruiting more qualified K-12 STEM teachers. To read the action plan, click here. (pdf August 2007)

Research Relating to BHEF's College Readiness Initiative

Comparative and General Education Research

  • A new study sponsored by the National Science Foundation and Michigan State University, called "Mathematics Teaching in the 21st Century (MT21)," shows that middle school mathematics teachers in the U.S. are less prepared to teach this subject than many of their counterparts in five other countries. To read more, click here. (December 2007)
  • The Data Quality Campaign (DQC), a national group working to encourage and support the collection, availability, and use of education data, has released a progress report outlining states' successes in employing longitudinal data systems. A BHEF partner, DQC has, over the past two years, emphasized the importance of developing and applying such systems in improving student achievement. Read more about the Data Quality Campaign's "10 Essential Elements." (November 2007)
  • Stiff Competition for the U.S. Education System. The Education Department's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has issued a new report on the "Group of Eight," which includes the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada, Japan, Russian Federation, and Italy. The study, called "Comparative Indicators of Education on the United States and Other G8 Countries," shows that the U.S. spends more money per student on higher education than its European counterparts, as well as Japan ($24,100 per student). Overall, the U.S. spends approximately seven percent of its gross domestic product on education, with 2.9 percent going to higher education. Each of the other five countries that submitted budget information spent a smaller percentage. The study also uncovered some areas in which the U.S. was trailing its peers, including education for adults aged 25-34, and the proportion of the population aged 25-64 with a college degree. Read the full report (pdf).
  • The Nation's lastest report card has been released. Find out how we're doing in math and reading. (August 2007)
  • New stats for a new school year: See educational statistics on everything from the first language of students to high school completion rates. (August 2007)

Other Research of Interest

  • Philanthropy News digest reports that although 87 percent of parents of middle school children expect their kids to go to college, almost half have not started planning for it and almost two-thirds have not started saving. Read more here. (December 2007)
  • The Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP) has published its “Giving in Numbers, 2007 Edition,” an analysis of 2006 corporate giving data from 136 leading companies. Overall, companies reported higher giving in 2006 than in 2005. Information technology (IT) companies lead giving within the category of education. These organizations dedicated an average of 42 percent of overall philanthropic budgets to K- 12 and Higher Education combined. This includes contributions to K-12 institutions, higher education institutions, education-related organizations, scholarship and fellowship funds, and other education centers, foundations, and partnerships. View the full report (pdf).
  • U.S. Slips in Educational-Attainment Levels. According to a new report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), titled "Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators," the higher-education attainment rate in the U.S. has remained nearly static at 39 percent, while the figure in other countries has consistently risen.
    • The U.S. degree-completion rate is 54 percent. Worldwide, the average is 71 percent
    • American colleges remain the most popular site for foreign students looking to study abroad. However, the total percentage of international students in the U.S. has declined from 26 percent to 22 percent over the past seven years.
    • The U.S. also lags in science graduates, producing about 1,100 science graduates with university-level degrees per 100,000 employed 25-34 year olds, compared to the OECD average of 1,295 science graduates.
    For more information, visit the OECD's Web site.