At the federal level, leaders can promote policies that reduce burdens on states, encourage collaboration across agencies, and help build the capacity of stakeholders to use data while ensuring the privacy of student information. The annual "Data for Action" survey measures states' progress toward achieving the 10 State Actions to Ensure…

The Data Quality Campaign (DQC) is dedicated to helping everyone with a stake in education, including parents, teachers, education leaders, and policymakers, effectively and appropriately understand and use education data. DQC helps parents and educators understand the value of data--why data matter and how they can help students be successful in…

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…

Access to geoscience data has been difficult for many educators. Understanding what educators want in terms of data has been equally difficult for scientists. From 2004 to 2009, we conducted annual workshops that brought together scientists, data providers, data analysis tool specialists, educators, and curriculum developers to better understand…

Recent technological advances in computers and communications make possible the integration of data systems and the exchange of data among them on an expanding scale. However, the full effect of these advances cannot be realized unless the need for uniform understanding of the common information (data elements) and its expression in data systems…