Since the initial authorizing legislation for Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1986, the scope and complexity of data collected by Part C programs have significantly increased. Formal governance establishes responsibility for Part C data and enables program staff to improve the effectiveness of data processes and…

Alignment between K-12 education and the workforce is critical because jobs are changing. Students must be prepared not only for the jobs of today but also for the jobs of the future. Securely linking data between state K-12 and workforce data systems can create a bridge between these agencies as they develop shared career readiness goals for…

When students, parents, educators, and partners have the right information to make decisions, students excel. By forming research partnerships, state education agencies (SEAs), policymakers, practitioners, and education researchers at universities and other research institutes can work together to use research to provide the best education…

Educational authorities and policymakers are increasingly focused on protecting student privacy while using data to inform program and policy decisions. Data from more than one government agency is often analyzed to more holistically inform these decisions. This has led to the development of integrated data systems (IDSs) that allow linkage of…

Every state can create secure, robust linkages between early childhood and K-12 data systems, and effectively use the information from these linkages to implement initiatives to support programs and children, answer key policy questions, and be transparent about how the state's early childhood investments prepare students for success in school and…

The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) provides an opportunity to transform how data are used in education. The 2002 ESEA requirement to disaggregate data and provide them to the public has made it possible to have greater transparency and more accurate measures of academic performance than ever. Congress now has…

Faced with rising demand for information about early childhood programs, states need to find tools and strategies to monitor the progress of and to identify high-quality early childhood programs. In response, REL Mid-Atlantic convened a regional workgroup for state personnel who work with the systems containing early childhood data. The workgroup…

Much has been made of the Internal Revenue Service's introduction of the completely revised Form 990 last year. The Internal Revenue Service's primary goals in implementing the revised form are to increase transparency and promote accountability and compliance. Indeed, the information required in the new form will offer the clearest picture to…