• Facilitate the identification, merging, and matching of data across different systems;
• Provide similar descriptions across LEA systems, across LEAs, and from LEAs to the state and federal government; and
• Specify the content and structure of logical and physical data models.

The information in this conceptual model takes into account the processes associated with teaching, learning, and the business operations of education organizations. The Data Model focuses on granular information at the school and district levels, rather than upon aggregate statistics or indicators for accountability; for example, it includes “student” as an entity but not “total number of students.” However, the Data Model includes information that is necessary to produce aggregate and other types of statistics.

The Education Data Model is a comprehensive, localized, conceptual model that provides a generic blueprint for schools and districts. This blueprint enables schools to evaluate and improve instructional tools, communicate those needs to their umbrella agency or directly to vendors, enhance the movement of student information from one district to another, and in the end, have better tools to inform instruction. Using a standard Education Data Model as a starting point contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the need for data, how data are used, and the questions that can be answered with the data. For instance, the Data Model helps to answer questions such as the following:

• What data do schools, LEAs, and states need to collect and manage at the local level to meet the information needs of students, staff, and other stakeholders?
• What data do they need to effectively manage education organizations in order to increase success in teaching, learning, and school leadership?
• What data do they need to efficiently manage and run an education organization from a fiscal and administrative perspective?

A single, comprehensive model of education data is prerequisite to establishing automated systems with the right data, data that are comparable across time and systems, and data accurate enough to answer our questions.