This volume presents indicators of important developments and trends in American education in 2003. Recurrent themes underscored by the indicators include participation and persistence in education, student performance and other outcomes, the environment for learning, and societal support for education. In addition, this volume contains a special analysis of children's reading achievement and classroom experiences in kindergarten and first grade, with a focus on the school, classroom, and home factors associated with the likelihood of children becoming good readers. Each section in the volume begins with a summary that presents the key point in the indicators to follow. All indicators contain a discussion, a single graph or table on the main indicator page, and one or more supplemental tables. All use the most recent national data available from the National Center for Education Statistics or other sources serving the purpose of the indicators. The volume's many topics are divided into six sections: (1) "Participation in Education"; (2) "Learner Outcomes"; (3) "Student Effort and Educational Progress"; (4) "Context of Elementary and Secondary Education"; (5) "Context of Postsecondary Education"; and (6) "Societal Support for Learning." Appended are supplemental tables, supplemental notes, standard error tables, and a glossary. (WFA)