In 2005, approximately 6 percent of students ages 12-18 reported that they were afraid of attack or harm at school, and 5 percent reported that they were afraid of attack or harm away from school. There was no measurable change between 2003 and 2005 in the percentage of students reporting fear of attack or harm at or away from school.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics "Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2006"

SURPRISE AMONG INTERNET USERS

A new study by EduGuide: Partnership for Learning has found that 80 percent of parents with less than a college degree, previously thought to be among the least connected, now use the Internet compared to 72 percent of all adults.

The report also found that 65 percent of college access professionals, such as counselors, and admissions staff, feel "not sure" about their ability to effectively use digital technologies in their programs.

The EduGuide Digital Disclosures Report, by the non-profit EduGuide: Partnership for Learning, is available at www.eduguide.org/.

DIVERSITY IN THE SAT

The population of students who are taking the SAT for college admission is diversifying.

Between 1996 and 2006, the percentage of test-takers who were minority students increased by 7 percentage points, from 31 to 38 percent.

During this period, the overall percentage of test-takers who were Hispanics increased by 3 percentage points (from 8 to 11 percent), compared with an increase of less than 2 percentage points for Asians/Pacific Islanders, an increase of less than one percentage point for blacks and a decrease of less than half a percentage point for American Indians/Alaska Natives.

Asian and white students are still overrepresented among test-takers.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics