In recent years, education data have become both more easily accessible and more important than ever to decisions about K-12 policies and practice. Under the "Every Student Succeeds Act" (ESSA), states are required to publish data on how students, including English Learners (ELs), are performing in areas such as reading, math, and…

Researchers recommend that policymakers use data from multiple sources when making decisions that have high-stakes consequences (Herman, Baker, & Linn, 2004; Linn, 2007; Stone & Lane, 2003). For this reason, a fair but rigorous teacher-effectiveness rating process relies on evidence collected from different sources (Goe, Bell, & Little, 2008;…

Annual "Profiles" reports are comprehensive digests of data on education management organizations. Analysis and interpretation of the data in this report are, for the most part, limited to describing general trends over time. The report is intended for a broad audience. Policymakers, educators, school district officials, and school board…

This guide for Connecticut policymakers and advocacy groups provides instructions for conducting a community assessment--gathering and analyzing data on child well-being, using social indicators. The guide first details the steps for a community assessment: create goals and objectives, identify outcomes and indicators, develop a plan, find…

This document presents a model of school completion outcomes and the indicators of these outcomes for all students, including students with disabilities. School completion is defined in a number of ways, including Grade 12, end of school, and time of "aging out" of eligibility for educational services. The document includes a conceptual…

A study was sponsored by the Office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to: (1) document and analyze the information needs of various groups (e.g., the legislature, state agencies, and community colleges) with respect to the state's community colleges and to prepare a matrix of information needs and uses; (2) inventory the…

Noting that obtaining facts and figures on important policy issues related to children is the critical first step toward identifying what is working and what needs improvement, this Kids Count guide is designed to help local community members find and use data on the condition of children and families in Minnesota. The guide describes how to…

This report of a United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) pilot project, which was carried out during 1982-84 in Khartoum (Sudan) to develop a vehicle for providing access to information on research in progress, describes: (1) the study that led to the conclusion that a national register of research projects was…

A data-collection model is presented for the gathering of timely information on population demographic characteristics, as well as economic, educational, environmental, and social trends. First, the paper discusses the importance of anticipating internal and external changes and establishing priorities for resource allocation in the design of a…

Prepared to help small towns assess community population and economic trends, this publication provides a step-by-step guide for establishing an on-going local data collection system, which is based on four local indicators and will provide accurate, up-to-date estimates of population, family income, and gross sales within a town's trade area. The…

This report presents the findings from a study designed: (1) to determine the current availability and utility of student outcome statistics in the nation; and (2) to examine the feasibility and desirability of nationwide institutional reporting of student outcome data. Following an introductory section on the purposes of the report and the…

An issues-oriented framework for selecting data to support typical state-level planning analyses is presented. Attention is focused on questions concerning the planning issues, and the general data requirements required to support a given state's analytical questions and decision requirements. State-level planning issues in postsecondary education…

This report of the San Francisco (California) Regional Office of the Inspector General concludes that the U.S. Department of Education should improve its present method of allocating special education funds among the states. It finds that the basis of these allocations, reported numbers of students receiving special education in each state, is…

This guide provides information for policy leaders who need to develop or revise action plans aimed at improving learning environments for an increasingly diverse student clientele. The self-assessment is organized into three sections. The first section introduces the self-assessment, defines key terms, discusses the conceptual framework that…

This book provides conceptual and practical strategies for the data and information collection and analysis needs of a diverse group of institutions, ranging from small rural community colleges to large urban research institutions. The model framework is designed for use by any size or type of institution and gives a broad overview of various…