New web site makes education data easier to find–and use

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) has launched a new interactive web site aimed at making accurate and timely education data available in a single place, for easy sorting and comparison. A key element of ED’s open government plan, “ED Data Express” consolidates relevant data collected from several different sources—including ED’s internal program offices, the National Center for Education Statistics, and The College Board—and provides tools that allow users to search and explore the data, create customized reports, and view state profiles with charts, tables, and key data points for every state. “[Having access to] robust data gives us the roadmap to reform,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said. “This new web site will give parents and educators reliable, accurate, and timely data that they can use to evaluate reforms.” Data include results of state tests and the National Assessment of Educational Progress, graduation rates, school accountability information, and more. http://www.eddataexpress.ed.gov ^[1]