Increasing Returns on Investment in Data Systems: Lessons Learned from Recipients of IES Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems Grants - Several states have made progress in developing comprehensive longitudinal data systems to improve education. The U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES) has invested in this effort through Statewide Longitudinal Data System (SLDS) Grants. This issue brief captures the history and status of grants made to the 14 states as well as progress made and lessons learned over the first year of the federal investment in four states. The highlighted states include Arkansas, Ohio, Tennessee and Wisconsin. (Nancy J. Smith, Data Quality Campaign, November 2006) ...

Creating a Longitudinal Data System: Using Data To Improve Student Achievement - The Data Quality Campaign (DQC) has identified 10 essential elements of a longitudinal education data system to improve student achievement. This report describes these 10 elements and actions states must take to incorporate them into their data systems. Further, the report spells out how the elements help answer key performance questions for policymakers and other interested parties. The 2006 update indicates the number of states that have adopted each of the elements and the change since 2005. For example, 42 states reported having a unique student identifier in place, up from 36 in 2005. And 14 states are able to identify the percentage of high school graduates who take remedial courses once enrolled in college. (Data Quality Campaign, 2006)...

Creating Longitudinal Data Systems: Lessons Learned by Leading States - To help states accelerate progress toward building and maintaining sophisticated education data systems, the Data Quality Campaign (DQC) examined four diverse, leading states -- Florida, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin. The goal was to better understand how these states went about designing their data systems, what it cost to create them, what immediate and tangible results were achieved, and what “lessons learned” could be shared with other states. The lessons learned fell into four basic categories: lay the groundwork, design the system, build and maintain a longitudinal data system, ensure the accuracy and integrity of data and promote use of data system and be flexible about changes. (Nancy J. Smith and Jane Armstrong, Data Quality Campaign, October 2006)...

Forum Guide to Decision Support Systems: A Resource for Educators - A “decision support system” may be defined in many ways. Some definitions emphasize hardware and software components; others focus primarily on function (i.e., fulfilling the information needs of decisionmakers); while a few even describe user interfaces, job functions and data flow. This report was developed to help educators better understand decision support systems and determine how they might be used most effectively in education organizations. (National Center for Education Statistics, September 2006) ...