To ensure reliable, accurate, and timely data capable of monitoring the progress of education in the United States, Congress has mandated that the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) produce an annual report, "The Condition of Education." This year's report presents 46 indicators of important developments and trends in U.S. education. These indicators focus on participation and persistence in education, student performance and other measures of achievement along with the environment for learning and resources for education. The indicators represent a consensus of professional judgment for which accurate data are available. In the 2009 the 46 indicators are organized in five main areas: (1) participation in education; (2) learner outcomes; (3) student effort and educational progress; (4) the contexts of elementary and secondary education; and (5) the contexts of postsecondary education. Five appendices are included: (1) Supplemental Tables; (2) Supplemental Notes; (3) Glossary; (4) Bibliography; and (5) Index. (Contains 82 figures and 103 tables.) [For "The Condition of Education, 2008," see ED501487. For "The Condition of Education 2009 in Brief," see ED505416.]