How well do U.S. students and the American education system perform? Data from national and international assessments of students' academic achievement can help address this question, as can data on adults' educational experiences and earnings. In some areas, such as mathematics and reading, the performance of elementary and secondary students has shown some improvement over the past decade, but not on all assessments, in all grades assessed, or equally for all groups of students. The association between education and the earnings and employment of adults helps underscore the importance of education for individuals and society.

• Average reading scores of 4th- and 8th-graders, assessed by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), were higher in 2007 than in 1992, by 4 and 3 points, respectively. The reading score of 12th-graders, however, was 6 points lower in 2005 than in 1992. In addition, average scores were higher in 2007 than in 1992 for White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander 4th-graders (ranging from 6 to 16 points), as well as for White, Black, and Hispanic 8th-graders (ranging from 5 to 7 points). The reading achievement gap between White and Black 4th-graders was smaller in 2007 than in all previous assessments, but the 2007 White-Hispanic gap was not measurably different from the 2005 or 1992 gap. There were no measurable changes in the 8th-grade White-Black or White-Hispanic reading achievement gaps in 2007 compared with 1992 or 2005 (indicator 12).
• Average mathematics scores assessed by NAEP increased 27 points for 4th-graders and 19 points for 8th-graders from 1990 to 2007. Increases in scores were seen for males and females and for students in most racial/ethnic groups. For example, the average mathematics scores in 2007 for White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander 4th-graders were higher than the scores in all previous assessments, as were the scores for White, Black, and Hispanic 8th-graders. At grade 4, the score for American Indian/Alaska Native students increased over time but did not differ measurably between 2005 and 2007; at grade 8, no measurable differences in scores were detected between 1990 and 2007. The mathematics achievement gap between White and Black 8th-graders was smaller in 2007 than in 2005, but there was no measurable change in the White-Hispanic gap between these years (indicator 13).
• Long-term trend results from NAEP indicate that the achievement of 9- and 13-year-olds in reading and mathematics improved between the early 1970s and 2008; however, the 2008 reading and mathematics scores of 17-year-olds were not measurably different from their scores in the early 1970s. In reading, 9-year-olds scored higher in 2008 than in any previous assessment, with an increase of 4 points since 2004 and 12 points since 1971. In mathematics, the average scores of 9- and 13-year-olds in 2008 were the highest of any assessment year (indicator 14).
• The 2007 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) assessed students' mathematics performance in 36 countries at grade 4 and in 48 countries at grade 8. Results from TIMSS showed that U.S. 4th-graders scored higher in mathematics than their peers in 23 countries and lower than those in 8 countries. U.S. 8th-graders scored higher than their peers in 37 countries and lower than those in 5 countries. At both grades 4 and 8, U.S. students showed improvement in mathematics in 2007 compared with 1995 (indicator 15).
• The 2007 TIMSS assessed students' science performance in 36 countries at grade 4 and in 48 countries at grade 8. Results from TIMSS showed that U.S. 4th-graders scored higher in science than their peers in 25 countries and lower than those in 4 countries. U.S. 8th-graders scored higher than their peers in 35 countries and lower than those in 9 countries. Compared with 1995, the average science scores for both 4th- and 8th-grade students were not measurably different in 2007 (indicator 16).
• For young adults ages 25-34 who worked full time throughout a full year, higher educational attainment was associated with higher median earnings in each year between 1995 and 2007. In 2007, young adults ages 25-34 with a bachelor's degree earned 29 percent more than young adults with an associate's degree and 55 percent more than young adult high school completers. The median earnings of young adults with a bachelor's degree were $45,000, while the median earnings were $35,000 for those with an associate's degree, $29,000 for high school completers, and $23,000 for those who did not earn a high school diploma or equivalent certificate. This pattern held for male, female, White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian young adults (indicator 17).