Secretary Duncan, NGA Chair Rendell, Congressman Miller Urge States to Use Data Systems...

Secretary Duncan, NGA Chair Rendell, Congressman Miller Urge States to Use
Data Systems for Continuous Education Improvement

Data Quality Campaign Releases Action Guide for
State and Federal Policy Makers;
Receives $4.8 Million From the Gates Foundation

WASHINGTON, March 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of
Education Arne Duncan urged states and school districts to continue their
momentum towards building longitudinal data systems and developing the
capacity of educators, policymakers, and other education stakeholders to
understand and use this data to proactively drive continuous improvement
throughout the education system.

"Now that the Data Quality Campaign has put data quality on the map, we need
to work together to leverage this work and push it to the next level by using
data to drive reform," said Secretary Duncan Tuesday at a forum held in
Washington, D.C. convened by the Data Quality Campaign. "The Department has
made an early commitment to this by providing funding in the stimulus package
for data systems so we can assess what's working and what's not. The path to
real reform begins with the truth - and we must keep facing the truth and
finding the answers until every classroom has a great teacher, and every child
has an education that prepares him for college, for work, and for life."

The forum, "Leveraging the Power of Data to Improve Education," brought
together hundreds of state and federal policymakers and education leaders to
discuss the integral role of data to the national education improvement
agenda, the challenges to growing and using these systems, the necessary
leadership of state and federal policymakers, and how the newly available
stimulus funds can be used to improve student achievement and close
achievement gaps. The entire forum can be viewed via webcast at
http://ne.edgecastcdn.net/000172/dataqualitycampaign/031009/DQCArchive.htm

To guide state and federal policymakers in building capacity of education
stakeholders to understand and use longitudinal data in effective decision
making, the Data Quality Campaign released "The Next Step: Using Longitudinal
Data Systems to Improve Student Success." The guide provides ten action steps
states need to take to move from collecting data for compliance to using data
for improvement. These ten state actions ensure effective data use will
expand the ability of state longitudinal data systems to link across the P-20
education pipeline and across state agencies; ensure that data can be
accessed, analyzed and used, and communicate data to all stakeholders to
promote continuous improvement; and build the capacity of all stakeholders to
use longitudinal data for effective decision making. The guide, with examples
of states which have implemented model efforts, is available at
http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/resources/384.

The ten action steps are:
1. Link state K-12 data systems with early learning, postsecondary
education, workforce, social services and other critical state agency
data systems.
2. Create stable, sustained support for robust state longitudinal data
systems.
3. Develop governance structures to guide data collection, sharing and
use.
4. Build state data repositories (e.g. data warehouses) that integrate
student, staff, financial and facility data.
5. Implement systems to provide all stakeholders timely access to the
information they need while protecting student privacy.
6. Create progress reports with individual student data that provide
information educators, parents and students can use to improve student
performance.
7. Create reports that include longitudinal statistics on school systems
and
groups of students to guide school-, district- and state-level
improvement efforts.
8. Develop a purposeful research agenda and collaborate with universities,
researchers and intermediary groups to explore the data for useful
information.
9. Implement policies and promote practices, including professional
development and credentialing, to ensure that educators know how to
access, analyze and use data appropriately.
10. Promote strategies to raise awareness of available data and ensure
that
all key stakeholders, including state policymakers, know how to
access,
analyze and use the information.

Chairman of the National Governors Association, Governor Ed Rendell (PA), told
the forum that state policy leaders should ensure that all state agencies work
together and share vital information to inform a common goal of ensuring
individual state citizens are prepared for the demands of the knowledge based
competitive economy.

"Longitudinal data is not just a K-12 issue; it requires gubernatorial
commitment because all of our systems - from early childhood, to K-12
education, to colleges and universities, to workforce development, to
employment databases - must work together to make data collection possible,"
Governor Rendell said. "And we need to do more to make the data useful,
because even the best data collection system is worthless if it does not
change what goes on in the classroom."

In 2005, the Data Quality Campaign identified ten essential elements that
states must include to build a highly effective longitudinal data system. At
that time, no state had all ten elements in place. In 2008, six states had all
ten elements, and 48 had five or more elements in place. Within the next
three years, 47 states plan to have eight or more elements. To learn more
visit http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey/elements.

The recent federal economic stimulus package included $250 million for funding
statewide education longitudinal data systems. The Institute of Education
Sciences (IES) is developing the competitive grants process to distribute the
funds to states which will be used to implement and use statewide longitudinal
data systems which include education data for elementary and secondary
students as well as postsecondary and workforce information. In addition, to
tap into the State Fiscal Stabilization formula funds, a state must assure the
USDOE that it is building its longitudinal data system across the P-20
education pipeline and linking it with workforce data.

Congressman George Miller, Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor in
the U.S. House of Representatives, also voiced strong support for the new
federal investment.

"Congress has stepped up to make this investment a priority, and we will be
watching implementation of the data systems very carefully," said Chairman
Miller. "It is our hope that states and districts will take a serious and
thoughtful approach about how they can use this data to help improve student
learning."

This week, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation granted the Data Quality
Campaign $4.8 million to support continuance of its work over the next three
years. The new grant will allow the DQC to continue to assist states in
developing data systems based on the ten essential elements as well as
encouraging states to take actions necessary to help support effective data
use. The DQC will continue to survey states and provide resources and
assistance around the ten essential elements as well as on the new ten state
actions to ensure effective data use.

"Thanks to the tireless efforts of the Data Quality Campaign, educators and
policymakers have a much better understanding of the critical role effective
longitudinal data systems play in improving opportunities for all students in
America," said Stefanie Sanford, Deputy Director, U.S. Program Advocacy, The
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, who also presented at the forum. "The Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation is pleased to continue its support of the campaign
with a new grant to further its efforts."

Other participants in the forum included: T. Kenneth James, Chair of the
Council of Chief State School Officers and Arkansas Commissioner of Education;
Reggie Robinson, Chair of the State Higher Education Executive Officers and
President & CEO of the Kansas Board of Regents; Eric Smith, Florida
Commissioner of Education; Michael Casserly, Executive Director, Council of
the Great City Schools; Michael Cohen, President of Achieve, Inc.; Kati
Haycock, President of The Education Trust; Dane Linn, Education Division
Director of the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices; and
Gene Wilhoit, Executive Director of the Council of Chief State School
Officers. Jay Pfeiffer, retired Florida Deputy Commissioner of Education,
received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Data Quality Campaign for his
leadership in developing Florida's model data system which provides best
practices and lessons for other states.

"States have made great progress in building their longitudinal data systems,
but now we need a cultural shift to build the political will and take the
practical steps needed to ensure that this data is accessed, shared, and used
for continuous education improvement," said Aimee Rogstad Guidera, Director of
the Data Quality Campaign. "That's what the Campaign will focus on now -
helping states identify and put in place the necessary policies and practices
so that key stakeholders actually use longitudinal data to help students
succeed."

The Data Quality Campaign (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/) (DQC) is a
national, collaborative effort to encourage and support state policymakers to
improve the availability and use of high-quality education data to improve
student achievement. The campaign provides tools and resources that help
states implement and use longitudinal data systems, while providing a national
forum for reducing duplication of effort and promoting greater coordination
and consensus among the organizations focused on improving data quality,
access and use. The Campaign has 14 managing partners and 39 endorsing
partners. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is DQC's founding funder;
additional support has been provided by the Casey Family Programs, the Lumina
Foundation for Education and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation.

SOURCE Data Quality Campaign / National Center for Educational Achievement

Jessica Schwartz Hahn, +1-703-478-0658 (w), +1-571-239-3260 (c),
Jessica@peithocom.com for the Data Quality Campaign / National Center for
Educational Achievement