These pages present highlights for your state from the 1999 National Education Goals Report and the companion 1999 Data Volume. The annual Goals Report uses 27 national and 34 state-level indicators to measure progress made toward the eight National Education Goals since 1990, when the Goals were established.

This fact sheet summarizes your state’s progress in key educational areas during the 1990s. Please note the following points:

1. Data sources: The sources of the national and state data are large-scale data collections, research studies, and assessments conducted by universities, education organizations, and federal agencies such as the National Center for Education Statistics and the National Center for Health Statistics.
2. Data comparability: Only comparable state data are included in the annual Goals Reports to ensure that state comparisons are fair.
3. Recency of data: The Goals Panel is committed to providing the most recent data available in its annual reports. Some of the data sets used to monitor state and national progress are updated annually, but most are updated every two, three, or four years. In a few cases, the most recent data available were collected during the early or mid-1990s. For example, the most recent adult literacy data (Goal 6), were collected in 1992; they will be updated in 2002. The most recent national data on history achievement and geography achievement (Goal 3) were collected in 1994; they will be updated in 2001. International mathematics and science data for the nation (Goal 5) were last collected in 1995; they are being updated during 1999. The most recent data on teacher education and professional development (Goal 4), parental participation (Goal 8), and teacher victimization and class disruptions (Goal 7) were collected in 1994; they will be updated in 2000. The remaining data presented in the Goals Report were collected within the last three years.
4. Measuring improvement: This fact sheet and the annual Goals Reports highlight progress made toward the National Education Goals since 1990, when the Goals were adopted. Changes in state performance during the 1990s – that is, between 1990 and the most recent year that data were collected – determine whether a state is improving or declining in performance. Improvement is not based on year-to-year changes.
5. New state data: The following state data appear in this year’s Goals Report for the very first time:

• Reading achievement – Grade 8 (1998 data)
• Writing achievement – Grade 8 (1998 data)

1. Updated state data: In addition, the following indicators of state progress have been updated with more recent data since last year’s report:

• Children’s Health Index (1997 data)
• Low birthweight (1997 data)
• Early prenatal care (1997 data)

• Preschool programs for children with disabilities (1998 data)

• High school completion rates for 18- to 24-year-olds (1997 data)
• High school dropout rates in Grades 9-12 (1997 data)

• Reading achievement – Grade 4 (1998 data)

• Advanced Placement performance (1999 data)

• Mathematics and science degrees (1996 data)

Arkansas placed among the most-improved states in the nation on 1 measure of progress during the 1990s:

Arkansas improved on 9 measures of progress toward the Goals during the 1990s:

1. Arkansas reduced the percentage of infants born with one or more of four health risks (from 42% in 1990, to 38% in 1997).
2. Arkansas increased the percentage of mothers who received early prenatal care (from 71% in 1990, to 76% in 1997).
3. Arkansas increased the number of children with disabilities enrolled in preschool (from 45 per 1,000 3- to 5-year-olds in 1991, to 78 per 1,000

3- to 5-year-olds in 1998).

There are 2 measures of progress where Arkansas’ performance has declined during the 1990s: