This publication provides an overview of the current federal opportunities to help states advance their data-related activities. Although not exhaustive, this list provides a starting point for federal policymakers to support states' work in this area.

Head Start has long focused on assessing and improving program quality to ensure that the children served receive the best possible preparation for school and life. Most research has been focused inside the classroom--the classroom environment, teacher qualifications, and teacher interactions. Of course, the classroom is important because that is…

Education data can empower educators, students, parents, and policymakers with the information they need to make the best decisions to improve student achievement, information that can move the nation toward an education system in which every student graduates prepared for college and career. Safeguarding the privacy of student data is a critical…

The members of the Large Countywide and Suburban District Consortium--a group of large, highly diverse, and successful districts across the country--have made great strides in achieving college and career readiness for all students. While they are succeeding, the consortium proposes that more could be done to accomplish their objectives through…

A wide array of federal funding opportunities exists to help states build a secure infrastructure to support data use and ensure that students are prepared for college and careers. Because the reporting requirements for these programs are frequently developed without input from other programs and agencies, grantees are required to report data that…

Describes the development of a prototype database of federal food, agriculture, and nutrition programs: preliminary work; database design, including the identification of data elements; and data collection and processing. The uses of the database and suggestions for enhancing its future usefulness are discussed. (Author/JD)

Evaluability assessment is a descriptive and analytic process intended to produce a reasoned basis for proceeding with an evaluation of use to both management and policymakers. It was jointly developed by the members of the program evaluation group of the Urban Institute between 1968 and 1978. The approach begins by obtaining management's…

Article focuses on government information systsms and resources, alternatives to computer storage retrieval and large scale information systems, and techniques to improve the utilization of existing information systems in colleges and universities. (Editor)

The collection and compilation of occupational supply data from formal, organized training programs were investigated to identify instances of multiple counting and undercounting of labor supply. The study combined a literature review; interviews with 274 individuals in 10 states involved in data production and use at the state or local level;…

This report provides for Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) prime sponsors who are responsible for labor market information, a set of guidelines to follow for developing an agency-wide plan for the operational use of labor market information. The body of the report outlines step-by-step procedures for creating such a plan. A brief…

Results of the National Center for Education Statistics' (NCES) evaluation of its collection of data for the Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS) are examined. Concerns regarding accuracy, timeliness, and uses of HEGIS data collection are addressed. To review the literature of higher education and publications concerned with some…

This handbook is designed to help state and local vocational education evaluators and persons using evaluation results by presenting strategies and procedures for improved use of vocational education evaluation results. It is divided into five sections, followed by a glossary and annotated bibliographies. Chapter 1 contains an overview of the…

This report concerning information on education in the United States addresses three questions: (1) what has happened over the past 15 years? (2) what are some reasons for the decline that has taken place in information gathering activity? and (3) how far does the problem in information gathering extend? Federally sponsored research and…

The document studies the availability and use of manpower data in vocational education and delineates the underlying factors influencing data usage. Information was collected from 10 States selected from 10 Federal regions. Descriptions of the findings are presented for each agency according to the following categories: (1) State vocational…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress is a project which annually surveys the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of young Americans. Its basic mission is to provide information useful to educational decision-makers and practitioners. The project has contributed to American education, but its assessment results have been of limited…