1. A National Council on Teacher Quality found that annual teacher pay increases dropped from 3.6% in 2008-09 to 1.3% in 2011-12.
2. U.S. unemployment remains at 7.5%, with only 50% of young blacks in their 20s holding a job.
3. In the past 2 school years, 40 states have detected possible standardized test cheating; 33 have confirmed at least one instance, and 32 have had to cancel or invalidate the test results of individual students, schools, or districts because of it.
4. State funding for preschool education stood at $3,481 per child in the 2011-12 school year, down from $4,824 the year before.
5. In 2011, about 10% of white 4th graders scored at the advanced level in math vs. one in 50 Hispanic students, and one in 100 black students.