Editorial Board
Laurel Krsek, San Ramon Valley Unified School District (CA)
Susan Williams, Virginia Department of Education
James Hawbaker, Appleton Area School District (WI)
Levette Williams, Georgia Department of Education
Ghedam Bairu, National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
Letter from the Chair
It is my pleasure to welcome you to what is going to be an exciting year for the National Forum on Education Statistics (Forum). The participation and contributions of states and districts to improve the quality, comparability, and usefulness of education data has been impressive. As such, the Forum is increasingly recognized as a body of experts. There continues to be a great deal of interest in Forum resources, our members’ knowledge, and our work.
In my role as this year’s Forum Chair, I have already had the privilege to represent the Forum on several occasions. For each event below, I talked about the purpose of the Forum and its members and presented on one or more Forum publications.
- iCount: Equity through Representation Symposium, September 14, 2015. The White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (WHIAAPI) and the National Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander Research in Education (CARE) held a symposium to discuss the need for and benefits of collecting and reporting disaggregated data for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students to improve their educational opportunities. Forum publications presented:
- The Forum’s Longitudinal Data Systems (LDS) Traveling through Time series
- Managing an Identity Crisis: Forum Guide to Implementing New Federal Race and Ethnicity Categories
- National Consortium for School Counseling and Postsecondary Success (NCSCPS) and Reach Higher White House Convening on Strengthening School Counseling and College Advising, November 2–4, 2015. Through school counselor leadership and collaborative partnerships, NCSCPS hopes to dramatically increase the number of traditionally underserved students prepared for, entering, and succeeding in postsecondary education by focusing on ways to strengthen, align, and expand the college-going pipeline locally and, concomitantly, at the state and national levels. Forum publications presented:
- Forum Guide to College and Career Ready Data
- Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)/American Educational Research Association (AERA) International Meeting, December 3–4, 2015. OECD and AERA seek to develop model international guidelines to advance the use of longitudinal information systems for innovation and research in education. Forum publications presented:
- Forum Guide to Supporting Data Access for Researchers: A State Education Agency Perspective
- The Forum Guide to Taking Action with Education Data
- The Forum’s LDS Traveling through Time series
Last year, the Forum published the Forum Guide to Alternative Measures of Socioeconomic Status in Education Data Systems and the Forum Guide to College and Career Ready Data. Today, Forum working groups are developing Forum resources on Virtual Education, School Courses for the Exchange of Data (SCED), Privacy, Data Disaggregation of Racial/Ethnic Categories, and Data Visualization. In the past, the Forum has produced high-quality resources and these working groups are continuing that tradition.
Through the work of the Forum, we enable innovation, support teaching and learning, and empower education leaders with the data and information to improve instruction and data-driven decisionmaking. It is our collective knowledge and efforts that shed light on what is otherwise invisible and also help illuminate a path forward for education. I applaud the work you do and the accomplishments of the Forum including the resources provided to states and districts, and I look forward to your participation and collaboration on the challenges we face today.
As you know, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is part of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), and there are three additional IES centers. Since Forum members may be interested in the work of the centers and their resources, this issue of the Voice will focus on all IES centers.
See you at our annual meeting.-Peter D. Tamayo, Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Overview of Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Centers
The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) is the U.S. Department of Education’s statistics, research, and evaluation arm. This independent, nonpartisan entity accomplishes much of its work through four main centers: the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE), the National Center for Education Research (NCER), the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), and the National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER). In December 2015, IES offices moved to the U.S. Department of Education’s Potomac Center Plaza (PCP), at 550 12th Street SW, Washington, DC. All four IES centers are now located on the fourth floor of the PCP building.
Members of the National Forum on Education Statistics (Forum) are familiar with the work of NCES. NCES established the Forum to improve the collection, reporting, and use of elementary and secondary education statistics, and Forum members interact regularly with NCES survey and program representatives through their work with state and local education agencies (SEAs and LEAs). Forum members may be less familiar with the work of the other IES centers. In response to requests from Forum members for additional information on the overall work of IES, this volume of the Forum Voice includes an overview of each of the four IES centers, with a focus on programs and grant opportunities that may be of interest to the Forum.
The IES mission is to “provide scientific evidence on which to ground education practice and policy and to share this information in formats that are useful and accessible to educators, parents, policymakers, researchers, and the public” (http://ies.ed.gov/aboutus/). The vast majority of the IES budget is distributed through these four centers; each center has its own priorities for research and grant making.
National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance
The National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE) conducts unbiased large-scale evaluations of education programs and practices supported by federal funds; provides research-based technical assistance to educators and policymakers; and supports the synthesis and the widespread dissemination of the results of research and evaluation throughout the United States. Projects and Programs include these:
NCEE's evaluation division designs evaluation studies to produce rigorous scientific evidence on the effectiveness of education programs and practices. In particular, the NCEE focuses on conducting rigorous impact studies of promising educational programs and practices that are supported through federal funds.
Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Program
The ten RELs serve the education needs of designated regions, using applied research, development, dissemination, and training and technical assistance to bring the latest and best research and proven practices into school improvement efforts. RELs work in partnership with nearly 70 research alliances comprised of education practitioners and policymakers at the district and/or state levels. In collaboration with the RELs, research alliance members identify specific, pressing education challenges in their region. Then they analyze data and conduct research to gain a more nuanced understanding of the challenges and to develop and test strategies for improvement.
RELs are located in these regions: Appalachia, Central, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Northeast and Islands, Northwest, Pacific, Southeast, Southwest, and West.
What Works Clearinghouse (WWC)
The WWC identifies studies that provide credible and reliable evidence of the effectiveness of a given practice, program, or policy and disseminates summary information and free reports on the WWC website. With over 700 publications available and more than 10,500 reviewed studies in the online searchable database, the WWC aims to inform researchers, educators, and policymakers as they work toward improving education for students.
Education Resources Information Center (ERIC)
ERIC's mission is to provide a comprehensive, easy-to-use, searchable Internet-based bibliographic and full-text database of education research and information for educators, researchers, and the general public. The ERIC collection includes bibliographic records (citations, abstracts, and other pertinent data) for 1.6 million items indexed since 1966, including journal articles, books, research syntheses, conference papers, technical reports, policy papers, and other education-related materials.
National Library of Education (NLE)
The NLE serves as the federal government's primary education information resource to the public, the education community, and other government agencies. The Library's collection focuses on education, but also includes fields such as law, public policy, economics, urban affairs, sociology, history, philosophy, and information science. The Library offers information, statistical, and referral services to the Department of Education and other government agencies and institutions, and to the public.
National Center for Education Research
The National Center for Education Research (NCER) supports long-term programs of research that address topics of importance to education practitioners and leaders, clearly specify methodological requirements for projects, and establish a scientific peer review system for reviewing grant proposals. Through its research programs and the national research and development centers, NCER supports research activities to improve the quality of education and thereby increase student academic achievement, reduce the achievement gap between high-performing and low-performing students, and increase access to and completion of postsecondary education.
Since 2002, NCER has funded over 700 education research grants and over 60 training grants that have helped prepare the next generation of education researchers. Research programs address education programs, practices, and policies in reading and writing, mathematics and science education, teacher quality, education leadership, education policy and finance, cognition and student learning, high school reform, and postsecondary education. Within these programs of research, investigators are identifying existing education programs, practices, and policies that may impact student outcomes; developing new education interventions (e.g., curricula, teacher professional development programs); evaluating the efficacy of fully developed programs or practices; evaluating the effectiveness of specific interventions taken to scale; and developing and validating assessments. The NCER website includes an index of research areas, searchable by topic, grantees, investigators, and other parameters.
Both NCER and the National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) periodically host a series of webinars related to research funding opportunities. As they become available, presentations and transcripts from the FY16 funding opportunities webinars will be posted at https://ies.ed.gov/funding/webinars/previous_webinars.asp.
National Center for Education Statistics
As you may know, the Forum is sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), which is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the U.S. and other nations. NCES fulfills a Congressional mandate to collect, collate, analyze, and report complete statistics on the condition of American education; conduct and publish reports; and review and report on education activities internationally.
NCES Annual Reports include The Condition of Education, The Digest of Education Statistics, High School Dropout and Completion Rates in the United States, Indicators of School Crime and Safety, and Projections of Education Statistics.
In addition to its annual and special reports, NCES funds a series of surveys and programs. The Forum is one NCES program; others include the following:
Common Education Data Standards (CEDS)
While education institutions across the P-20W (early learning through postsecondary and workforce) environment use many different data standards to meet information needs, there are certain data we all need to be able to understand, compare, and exchange in an accurate, timely, and consistent manner. For these, we need a shared vocabulary for education data—that is, we need common education data standards. The Common Education Data Standards (CEDS) project is a national collaborative effort to develop voluntary, common data standards for a key set of education data elements to streamline the exchange, comparison, and understanding of data within and across P-20W institutions and sectors.
Effective Practices Conferences
The Effective Practices Conferences, including the STATS-DC Conferences and the Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems Grant Program (SLDS) P-20 Best Practice Conferences, provide venues for states and districts to share effective practices and discuss lessons learned. These conferences also provide opportunities for state and district representatives to and engage with representatives from the federal government, national nonprofit organizations, and colleagues from across state lines. These events play a key role in helping staff build relationships and cultivate a community around P-20 education data system design, development, implementation, and use.
Interagency Working Group on Expanded Measures of Enrollment and Attainment (GEMEnA)
GEMEnA works to develop and validate national measures of the participation in and credentialing of education and training for work, and to build government-wide consensus for the adoption of these measures in key federal data collections. More specifically, GEMEnA is engaged in a rigorous process of survey item development to validate core items on 1) the attainment of non-degree credentials, including industry-recognized certifications, occupational licenses, and educational certificates; and 2) enrollment in education and training that prepares people for work.
Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems Grant Program (SLDS)
The U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) awarded grants to 41 states and the District of Columbia to aid them in the design and implementation of statewide longitudinal data systems. These systems are intended to enhance the ability of states to efficiently and accurately manage, analyze, and use education data, including individual student records. The data systems developed with funds from these grants should help states, districts, schools, and teachers make data-driven decisions to improve student learning, as well as facilitate research to increase student achievement and close achievement gaps.
National Center for Special Education Research
The National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) sponsors a comprehensive program of special education research designed to expand the knowledge and understanding of infants, toddlers and children with disabilities. From its inception in 2005 through 2012, the center funded more than 250 research and research training projects that include improving early intervention and early childhood special education; reading, writing, and language development for children with disabilities; and academic and behavior outcomes for students with serious behavior disorders. NCSER has also funded a number of postdoctoral research training grant programs in special education to increase the supply of scientists and researchers who are prepared to expand our knowledge of disabilities, conduct rigorous evaluation studies, develop new interventions that are grounded in a science of learning, and design and validate measurement instruments for students in special education.
As noted in the NCER section, both NCER and NCSER periodically host a series of webinars related to research funding opportunities. As they become available, presentations and transcripts from the FY16 funding opportunities webinars will be posted at https://ies.ed.gov/funding/webinars/previous_webinars.asp.
Working Groups
- Virtual Education Working Group
The Forum’s Virtual Education Working Group recently completed work on the forthcoming Forum Guide to Elementary/Secondary Virtual Education Data. The document is available on the Forum’s publication page (http://nces.ed.gov/forum/publications.asp). This new resource was developed to assist SEAs and LEAs as they 1) consider the impact of virtual education on established data elements and methods of data collection; and 2) address the scope of changes, the rapid pace of new technology development, and the proliferation of resources in virtual education.
The Forum convened the Virtual Education Working Group to review and update the 2006 Forum Guide to Elementary/Secondary Virtual Education. The Working Group found that, while the information in the 2006 guide is still relevant, the virtual education environment has grown in ways unanticipated in 2006 and virtual education now includes vastly different technologies and approaches to teaching and learning. The new publication includes many of the policy questions, scenarios, and common practices discussed in the original 2006 guide, as well as new information on opportunities for virtual education data collection, challenges to collecting high-quality virtual education data, and additional practices designed to benefit SEAs and LEAs as they create and modify systems to accurately gather virtual education data. Appendices provide examples of how SEAs and LEAs have solved data collection challenges, links to SEA offices and websites that address virtual education, suggested elements for data systems, and information on Forum guides and other relevant resources.
- School Courses for the Exchange of Data (SCED) Working Group
The SCED Working Group met at NCES in early December to continue the comprehensive revision. The focus of the current update is on Subject Areas that were not revised as part of SCED Versions 2 or 3, and when the group is done, the entire SCED will be up to date. Working Group members reviewed all of the recommendations recently submitted by Forum members, SCED users, and representatives of national content associations at the December meeting. The meeting also advanced the content and storyboard for the forthcoming SCED video, which will provide a general overview of SCED, including its usefulness to both SEAs and LEAs, and basic information on how the elements of SCED fit together. This first video is meant as an introduction to SCED; the Working Group is planning a second video that will provide a more in-depth overview of how to use the SCED elements and attributes. In January, please look for additional emails regarding SCED as the Working Group completes the revision. The group will need Forum feedback on particular questions relating to course description changes, the addition of new courses, and decisions about archiving courses. The group is also continuing to plan several new SCED resources, including a master list of all courses included in SCED since the original 2007 version and an expanded FAQ. The group will share a draft of the full SCED with the Forum for review prior to its publication in September 2016.
- Education Data Privacy Working Group
The Forum’s Education Data Privacy Working Group was convened to explore how SEAs and LEAs can support best practices at the school level to protect the confidentiality of student data in day-to-day instructional and administrative tasks. While information is available on state-level privacy protection practices, there remains a need for best practices related to implementing privacy protection practices in schools and districts. The Working Group is identifying and developing best practice considerations for LEAs to use as they implement student privacy protections in schools, and identifying ways that SEAs can support LEAs as they establish privacy programs. Michael Hawes of the Privacy Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) is participating in the Working Group. The group held a virtual meeting in December to review a draft of the resource, which will include an overview of education data privacy, information on the role of education stakeholders in ensuring privacy, case studies that address common scenarios in districts and schools, and related resources, such as PTAC publications. The Working Group is planning to hold another virtual meeting on February 22, 2016, to continue work on the resource.
- Data Disaggregation of Racial/Ethnic Categories Working Group
The Data Disaggregation of Racial/Ethnic Categories Working Group was convened in response to a request for Forum assistance with best practices for disaggregating race and ethnicity data. SEAs and LEAs have found that identifying subgroups of students within race/ethnicity categories can help to improve education outcomes and offer targeted support. While the analysis of subgroups can lead to improved programs and policies, changes to established data collection and analysis procedures can be complicated and time consuming. Importantly, reports based on disaggregated data must uphold the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and other data privacy laws. This working group is tasked with exploring and identifying best practices for disaggregating data on race/ethnicity while also addressing the benefits and challenges involved in disaggregation. The group will also compile real-world examples from SEAs and LEAs that have successfully disaggregated data for these subgroups. The group met to advance the document on January 11th at the new NCES offices at the U.S. Department of Education’s Potomac Center Plaza.
- Data Visualization Working Group
Effective data visualization can improve communications, make data more user friendly, and increase stakeholder access to data. Forum members have identified the need for more information on how to apply data visualization concepts and best practices to their work in SEAs and LEAs. The Forum convened the Data Visualization Working Group to discuss these topics, determine how the Forum can contribute to a better understanding of the particular data visualization issues that affect the education data community, and develop resources that include examples and best practices.
The Data Visualization Working Group met at NCES in early December to continue work on a new resource that will improve our understanding of data visualization issues that affect the education data community. The new guide will discuss data visualization practices that can help education agencies present data in a format that is appropriate for a wide range of education audiences. The current draft includes an overview of the concept of data visualization, key principles and practical recommendations to improve the effectiveness of data visualization efforts, and suggestions for implementing a data visualization process in a local, state, or federal education agency. The guide will also include considerations that can influence how data visualization choices might be applied to common education indicators and an in-depth example of a common use of data visualizations. The group plans to meet again via webinar to advance the document prior to an in-person meeting in May 2016.
Updates and Events
Forum Webinars
Forum Virtual Meeting: New Forum Guide to Elementary/Secondary Virtual Education Data
On December 9, 2015, Forum Chair Peter Tamayo of the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction gave a presentation on the forthcoming Forum Guide to Elementary/Secondary Virtual Education Data. Peter reviewed the purpose of the Virtual Education Working Group and provided an overview of the structure and content of the new guide. He discussed key issues addressed in the guide, including developments in education technology and virtual education, the organizational structure of virtual education, user experience, and the opportunities and challenges virtual education presents for data collection. Peter concluded his presentation by detailing a topic area from the text comprising a real-world classroom example, policy questions, and common practices, and underlying the importance of privacy, confidentiality, and student protection when working with data collection systems. The presentation is available on the Forum Events webpage.
National Education Statistics Agenda Committee (NESAC) Virtual Meeting
On December 15, 2015, NESAC Chair Kristi Martin, Macomb Intermediate School District (MI), and NESAC Vice Chair Susan Williams, Virginia Department of Education, led a two-part presentation and discussion on 1) how SEAs can help to reduce reporting burdens on LEAs, and 2) how NESAC members use School Courses for the Exchange of Data (SCED) in their education agencies. NESAC members shared successful methods their SEAs have employed to assist LEAs with reporting burdens, as well as areas where there are opportunities for more collaboration to reduce burdens. During the second half of the presentation, NESAC members participated in an online poll consisting of questions related to SCED. The poll and subsequent discussion revealed a need for more outreach to researchers and others who may not be familiar with SCED. The meeting concluded with Kristi reminding members that the SCED Working Group welcomes feedback as they develop a comprehensive SCED update.
Summer 2015 Forum Recap
The 2015 Summer Forum Meeting took place July 6–8 in Washington, DC. Past Forum Chair Thomas Purwin, Jersey City Public Schools (NJ), welcomed Forum members to the meeting. A wide variety of topics were discussed by members in the general sessions, breakouts, and working groups. Zac Chase, ConnectEd Fellow at the U.S. Department of Education (USED), provided an overview of the ConnectEd and Future Ready Initiatives at the Office of Educational Technology (OET). Michael Hawes, Statistical Privacy Advisor at USED, gave a presentation on the national landscape of education data privacy. Patrick Rooney, Deputy Director of the Office of State Support (OSS) at USED, led a presentation on the development and implementation of educator equity plans.
Other presentation and discussion topics included SEA and LEA uses of Forum resources; updates and information on the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (OSEP) technical assistance and data centers; Assessment Consortia; technology-based National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP); science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) indicators; Civil Rights Data Collection; school climate surveys (SCLS); education data standards; EdFacts; Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Program; Privacy Technical Assistance Center; and new and ongoing Forum work on SCED, college and career readiness, and virtual education. The meeting concluded with a presentation from Peggy Carr, Acting Commissioner of NCES, who provided an update on NCES initiatives, as well as national and global education assessments. She also highlighted how the Forum and NCES help to ensure quality education statistics. The 2014–15 officers were recognized for their service and a new slate of officers, led by Peter Tamayo of the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, was elected for 2015–16.
Newsletter Information
The Forum Voice is released as an electronic publication.