The Library's federal depository is housed in the General Library Building on the main campus. Their website is an excellent resource for data and governmental reports, as well as a place to find a good overview of an education topic.
National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education.
Digest of Education Statistics The publication contains information on a variety of subjects in the field of education statistics, including the number of schools and colleges, teachers, enrollments, and graduates, in addition to educational attainment, finances, federal funds for education, libraries, and international education.
UNESCO Institute for Statistics Global and internationally comparable statistics on education, science, culture and communications.
US Department of Education research and statistics
Statistical Abstract of the United States (U.S. Bureau of the Census), 1879- The basic annual U.S. statistical handbook with almost 1,600 tables, of social, economic, and political statistics. Use the source notes at the bottom of each table to lead you to other statistical publications on your topic.
LexisNexis Statistical Insight
Indexes statistical publications issued by the U.S. government from 1973 from American Statistics Index and from international intergovernmental organizations since 1983 from Index to International Statistics.
Tennessee Statistical Abstract search under education
Historical Statistics of the United States The standard source for historical statistics about the social, political, and economic aspects of the United States, now expanded and revised from the 1975 print source. Includes Census and other statistical data.
American FactFinder U.S. Census Bureau source for population, housing, economic, and geographic data, including Census 2000.
Try these sources for historical summaries of education topics. It's often a good way to narrow a search.