Modern computing technology makes it possible for governments at all levels to use the data they already collect to improve service coordination and delivery, and to conduct research and evaluation to inform policymaking. California is well behind other states in taking advantage of this opportunity, in education and in other fields. The state has…

Faced with the need to create a competitive workforce and improve the quality of our education system, states are pursuing policy agendas to better prepare students for postsecondary education and careers. To inform these agendas, statewide longitudinal data systems (SLDSs) have become an invaluable asset and serve as a tool to help states answer…

This case is developed for use in a policy-centered course on systemic improvement in underperforming districts and schools. The narrative details the complexity that arose in the context of one such reform initiative, a framework for analyzing that complexity, and a set of leadership decisions that follow. Course instructors can use the case to:…

America can no longer afford an education system that fails to use data effectively to guide decisionmaking. The education sector is facing ever-increasing demands to improve student outcomes, reduce burden, increase efficiency, and improve transparency. These demands cannot be met without the strategic and effective use of data. Due to the…

No school is an island; it is a part of a continuum or a pipeline of institutions which together form an educational pipeline through which groups of students pass. To turn a body of data into useful information for knowledge-based decision-making at any level, data must be collected, organised, analysed and reflected upon. The purpose of this…

State education data systems have often been described as data rich but information poor. Historically, these systems were created for compliance purposes and, therefore, designed and managed as information technology projects, but a culture change is under way. Educators and other stakeholders are beginning to value data as a tool to inform…

Within the last decade, the neighboring states of Kentucky and West Virginia have realized the need for--and have acted upon--school reform measures in their educational systems. This document compares and contrasts the two states' efforts to restructure their school systems. Both Kentucky and West Virginia initiated their respective reform…

This report describes the efforts of the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL) during the last several years to respond to direct requests from educational stakeholders to help integrate data into their decision-making processes related to school improvement. In some cases, NCREL cooperated in the development of educational…

This paper describes an educational accountability system that provides needed accountability along with the data necessary for school improvement. The accountability system, which is being implemented in the Dallas (Texas) schools, is a three-tier system moving from the school level through district improvement plans to school improvement…

Discussion of continuing nurse education focuses on the development of a Nursing Intranet Learning System developed in Hong Kong, a cost effective, multilingual Internet-based system. Describes advantages of Web-based learning over traditional computer-based learning systems; considers content acquisition, content management, and content…

In the New York City high schools, three change strategies have been used to improve a system which, in and by itself, is dramatically changing. The high school system has undergone significant changes in purpose, organization, culture and student performance. The first change strategy established a partnership between the high schools and the…

The combination of North Dakota's lower standard of living and non-competitive salary and benefits makes it increasingly difficult to recruit and retain the best and the brightest staff and faculty. Since 1998, campuses have been internally reallocating funding to provide salary increases to staff and faculty above that provided by the…

Contends that systemic reform is required to improve student achievement. Describes 10 system-building standards from the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE): the educational environment, governance and policy issues, preservice and inservice education, teaching practices, assessment practices, personnel and curricular materials…

A plan is presented herein for development of a Rural Education Information System for the 10 states which comprise the Southeastern Regional Council for Educational Improvement. Since the Council considers its principal function to be support of educational policy analysis and formation in its member states, the information system design…

This publication is the second annual report on the programs and plans of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Representatives of state and federal education agencies have presented the NCES with a report, "A Guide to Improving the National Education Data System," which contains recommendations for improving the nation's…