NEA Research

NEA's Research Department reviews data, issues and policies concerning NEA members, educators and the public school community to produce helpful reports. This page provides one-stop access to all current NEA Research reports.

In the Spotlight

Rankings & Estimates: Rankings of the States 2006 and Estimates of School Statistics 2007
 PDF, 1.30 MB, 130 pages (December 2007)
Annual report of state education and economic data as provided by state education agencies and analyzed by NEA researchers. (See Highlights here. )

Regarding World Language Education... The Benefits of Second Language Study: Research Findings with Citations
 PDF, 87 KB, 12 pages (December 2007)

Teacher Shortages and Educational Inequality: The Problem of Ensuring Disadvantaged Schools Have Enough Qualified Teachers
 PDF, 593 KB, 3 pages
This research brief by Richard Ingersoll addresses the issue of teacher shortages as it relates to ensuring that the nation's classrooms, especially those in disadvantaged schools, are  staffed with qualified teachers. (2005)

Page last updated 1/2008

Gains and Gaps in Education Technology:
An NEA Survey of Educational Technologies in U.S. Schools 
 PDF, 520 KB, 62 pages
Technology gains and gaps in public school classrooms across America are reported in this study of experiences of individual educators. (2004)

New Research on Best Practices reports:

• Looking into Learning-Centered Classrooms: Implications for Classroom Management, by Carolyn M. Evertson and Kristen W. Neal (2006)
  Summary ( PDF, 279 KB, 6 pages)
  Full Report ( PDF, 452 KB, 28 pages)
  
• Professional Community and Professional Development in the Learning-Centered School
  by Judith Warren Little (2006)
  Summary (PDF, 221K, 6 pages)
  Full Report (PDF, 528K, 34 pages) 
  
• Theories of Learning and Teaching: What Do They Mean for Educators, by Suzanne M. Wilson and Penelope L. Peterson (2006)
  Summary ( PDF, 410 KB, 6 pages)
  Full Report ( PDF, 478 KB, 32 pages)
  
• The Workplace Matters: Teacher Quality, Retention, and Effectiveness, by Susan Moore Johnson (2006)
  Summary ( PDF, 315 KB, 6 pages)
  Full Report ( PDF, 505 KB, 32 pages)

Protecting Public Education from Tax Giveaways to Corporations  
 PDF, 980 KB, 62 pages
The 50-state study finds that only two states shield public school funding from property tax breaks (abatements) and other property tax-based subsidies known as tax increment financing (TIF). Only two states give school boards full input in making decisions about these two tax subsidies. And many states do not have adequate corporate disclosure requirements, making it hard for citizens to know how their tax dollars are being used. (2003)

Rankings & Estimates: Rankings of the States 2005 and Estimates of School Statistics 2006
PDF, 1.87 MB, 129 pages
Report includes latest data answering the following vital accountability questions and more:

• How many students are enrolled in each state?
• How many teachers are working in each state?
• What is the student–teacher ratio in each state?
• How much money, on average, does each state spend per student?
• How much, on average, do teachers in each state earn per year?
• How much money does each state spend for operating schools, including salaries, books, heating buildings, and so on?
• How much money does each state spend in total for schools, including operating expenses, capital outlay, and interest on school debt?
• How much revenue do school districts receive separately from state and from local governments (by state)?
• What are school districts’ total (federal, state and local) revenues, by state?
• How do state public school investment efforts (school revenue per $1,000 personal income) compare?

Rankings & Estimates: Rankings of the States 2005 and Estimates of School Statistics 2006  PDF, 1.87 MB, 129 pages (November 2006)
Annual report of information provided by state education agencies and analyzed by NEA researchers.

Rankings & Estimates: Rankings of the States 2004 and Estimates of School Statistics 2005
PDF, 1074 KB, 129 pages
Annual report of information provided by state education agencies and analyzed by NEA researchers. (June 2005)

Status of the American Public School Teacher 2000-2001
 PDF, 1.2 MB, 384 pages
This comprehensive report of surveys conducted every five years since 1961 provides current and trend data on the professional and personal characteristics of teachers, their teaching conditions, attitudes toward the profession, education reform activities, and their community and civic activities. (2003)

Status of the American Public School Teacher 2000-2001: Highlights
 PDF, 112 KB, 4 pages
Highlights of findings of full Status of the American Public School Teacher 2000-2001 report, with six descriptive charts. (2003)