Editor's Note (The View From Here)
The Education Marketplace
- By Deborah P. Moore
- 07/01/16
The National Center for Education Statistics
(NCES) has a mandate to report to Congress on the
condition of education by June 1 of each year. Their
recently released report, The Condition of Education 2016, give
us a look at the trends and developments in education using the
latest available data. When looking at enrollment, public school
enrollment has increased from 49.77 million (2012-2013) to 50.04
million (2013-2014). The number of students enrolled in public
charter schools has increased from 2.3 million (2012-2013) to 2.5 million (2013-2014).
While the number of students continues to increase, the revenues continue to
decrease. In the 2011-2012 school year, revenues for public schools totaled $622 billion
– $63 billion from federal sources, $280 billion from state sources, $279 billion
from local sources. In the 2012-2013 school year, total revenues declined, coming in
at $618 billion.
Factors like the upcoming presidential election and the atmosphere of the political
arena make it nearly impossible to predict where education funding will end up
in the next few years. The only things we know for certain are:
- our student population continues to grow;
- access to a quality education is a fundamental right of every student;
- and the responsibility for providing that quality education falls on us, no matter
how challenging that task may be.
Until the dust settles, schools will still be charged with “doing more with less.”
Our Buyers’ Guide section of this issue is designed to help schools make the most
of their money by helping them evaluate suppliers and examine the wide range of
options available to them. This year’s directory contains product information from
more than 1,700 suppliers to the education market. Products are sorted by category,
then sub-category. For example, under the main category “Safety and Security,” you
will find sub-categories for access control systems, alarms, surveillance cameras, etc.
The Product Index can be found on page 23. Find the product category you
are interested in, and then flip to the designated page for a list of companies who
provide this product. Full contact information for all suppliers in the directory can
be found in the Suppliers Section that begins on page 64. The suppliers with bold or
enhanced listings support the publication of this guide through their advertising
dollars. Product Showcases, starting on page 93, will give you more detailed information
about the latest products and services available to you.
Make your schools better by making the most of the dollars you have!
This article originally appeared in the issue of .