Recent Data on American Education

2003 International Adult Literacy and Lifeskills (ALL) Survey

The report shows that America’s adults performed worse than their counterparts in Bermuda, Norway, and Switzerland, but better than those in Italy. There was no measurable difference between the performance of Canadian and U.S. adults. ALL reports on the literacy and numeracy skills of adults ages 16-65 in six countries.

Men outscored women on the numeracy scale in every country. In the United States, men scored 15 points higher than women on the literacy scale. White U.S. adults outscored Black, Hispanic, and other adults in both literacy and numeracy. There was no measurable difference between the performance of Blacks and Hispanics in literacy or numeracy.

Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: School Year 2002-03

Released by the National Center of Education Statistics, this National Public Education Financial Survey is to provide district, state, and federal policymakers, researchers, and other interested users with descriptive information about revenues and expenditures for public elementary and secondary education.

Flag Day History

On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress replaced the British symbols with a new design featuring 13 white stars in a circle pattern on a field of blue and 13 red and white stripes. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that established Flag Day on June 14.

It is observed across the country by displaying the American Flag on homes and public buildings. Other popular ways of observing this day include flag-raising ceremonies, singing of the national anthem, and the study of flag etiquette and the flag's origin and meaning.

"Flag Day, June 14" Henderson, Helene, ed. Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations of the World Dictionary. 3rd ed. Detroit: Omnigraphics, 2005. Ref 394.26 H732

For more information about the observance of this day, please visit the website of the National Flag Day Foundation.

Meteorology Terms 101

After experiencing the powerful storms that traveled through the area yesterday, did the weatherman introduce any meteorological terms unfamiliar to you?

Wind Shear- an abrupt change in wind speed or direction which can occur at any altitude

Squall Line- unbroken line of thunderstorms that form over or ahead of fast-moving cold fronts which often produce strong straight-line winds and hail

Gust Front- is the leading edge of the cold, low-level outflow from a thunderstorm which often produces strong, gusty winds and a sudden drop temperature

Gustnado- a short-lived, circulating funnel occuring in the gust front that rarely produces damage

For more meteorological information like this, consult the following reference resource:
Schneider, Stephen H., ed. Encyclopedia of Climate and Weather. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. Ref 551.503 En195

American Revolution Map Collection

The Rochambeau Map Collection contains cartographic items used by Jean Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau (1725-1807), when he was commander in chief of the French expeditionary army (1780-82) during the American Revolution.

The maps were from Rochambeau's personal collection, cover much of eastern North America, and date from 1717 to 1795. The maps show Revolutionary-era military actions, some of which were published in England and France, and early state maps from the 1790s. Many of the items in this extraordinary group of maps show the importance of cartographic materials in the campaigns of the American Revolution as well as Rochambeau's continuing interest in the new United States.

The collection consists of 40 manuscript and 26 printed maps, and a manuscript atlas, the originals of which are in the Library of Congress' Geography and Map Division.

Previous Record Held by Baby Boomers Surpassed

The number of students enrolled in elementary and high school in 2003 — 49.5 million — surpassed the previous all-time high of 48.7 million set in 1970 when baby-boomers were of school-age, the U.S. Census Bureau reported.

For the full press release, click here.

For the statistical data, click here.

PubChem Project

PubChem is a component of the National Library of Medicine's Molecular Libraries Roadmap Initiative. This database is organized into three sections: Compound, Substance and BioAssay.

Each compound is displayed with a visual representation of its structure and includes cross-referenced links into bioactivity, protein structures, toxicology, MeSH annotations, related and similar compounds.

One of 2004's Best Online Reference Sources

Allmusic

Created in 1995, this constantly growing resource of more than 76,000 biographies, 778,900 albums and 260,700 album reviews, provides information on popular artists as well as historic entertainers in a variety of genres. Each artist is presented with an overview, biography, discography, song index with audio capability, collaborations, and awards.