EDFacts

Aligned to goals:

• 1.2: Make more data and information available to the public.
• 1.5: Maintain up-to-date information on the Department's website about offices and key programs.
• 1.6: Foster more transparency in the larger educational community.
• 3.1: Enhance collaboration with other federal and non-federal agencies, the public, and non-profit and private entities.
• 4.1: Encourage openness and communication about effectiveness within the Department.

EDFacts is a U.S. Department of Education initiative to put performance data at the center of policy, management, and budget decisions for all K-12 education programs. It is a multidimensional data system that includes: (1) an electronic submission system that receives data from States, districts, and schools; (2) analytical tools for analysis of submitted data; and (3) reporting tools for Department staff and data submitters to ensure better use of those data.

EDFacts centralizes performance data supplied by K-12 State education agencies (SEAs) with other data assets, such as financial grant information, within the Department to enable better analysis and use in policy development, planning, and management. The purpose of EDFacts is to:

• Place the use of robust, timely performance data at the core of decision- and policy making in education;
• Reduce State and district data burden and streamline data practices;
• Improve State data capabilities by providing resources and technical assistance; and
• Provide data for planning, policy, and management at the federal, State, and local levels.

Until now, EDFacts has been available only to Department and State analysts. In the interest of transparency, the Department plans to make these data publicly available for the first time and will start by moving five data sets to Data.gov this fiscal year:

1. Annual list of schools in need of improvement since 2004-05;
2. Annual list of Districts in need of improvement since 2004-05;
3. Annual list of statewide assessment results in reading since 2003-04;
4. Annual list of statewide assessment results in mathematics since 2003-04; and
5. Annual list of district-level graduation rates reported under ESEA for 2006-g-07 and 2007-08.