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…

Data-based decision making has been the mantra of the school reform movement since the late 1980s, but California does not yet have an effective system for collecting and using vital school information. California has taken a number of steps to address this shortcoming. These include the Public School Accountability Act of 1999 and Senate bills…

The Stress of School Project attempted to find new ways by which the school can help children learn more effectively. The resulting information system, APPLE (Anecdotal Processing to Promote the Learning Experience) was designed to process anecdotal data obtained in schools and integrate it with quantitative measures of pupil characteristics. Many…

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…