ED Data Express - U.S. Department of Education makes their data, more importantly turned into “information” for you, just a few easy clicks away. - Greg's Cool [Insert Clever Name] of the Day

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

ED Data Express - U.S. Department of Education makes their data, more importantly turned into “information” for you, just a few easy clicks away.

“This Web site will help you view some of the important data that the U.S. Department of Education collects from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Please visit the About page for important background information on the data contained on this site before starting to explore the data.

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ED Data Express - About

“Purpose of ED Data Express

ED Data Express is a Web site designed to improve the public's ability to access and explore high-value state-level education data collected by the U.S. Department of Education. The site is designed to be interactive and to present the data in a clear, easy-to-use manner, with options to download information into Excel or manipulate the data within the Web site. The site currently includes data from EDFacts, Consolidated State Performance Reports (CSPR), State Accountability Workbooks, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), the College Board, and the Department's Budget Service office. For more information about these topics, please see the following: CSPR (1); EDFacts (2); Accountability Workbooks (3); NCES/CCD (4); NAEP (5); College Board (6); Budget Services (7)

Using the Site

ED Data Express includes three tools that allow users to access and view the data: a State Snapshots page, a Data Element Explorer, and a Build a State Table page. The State Snapshot pages include charts and tables with key data for each state. The Data Element Explorer allows users to view a single element across all states, both graphically and in a table. The Build a State Table page allows users to build customized tables by selecting specific data elements and specific states. Clicking on the number or question mark symbol next to a data element in any of these tools will open a footnote for that data element. In addition to the data viewing tools, the Web site includes links to additional resources, data definitions, and frequently asked questions, all of which provide important context for users. For more detail about how to use each tool, please see the following: State Snapshots (8); Data Element Explorer (9); State Tables (10); Footnotes (11); Other Site Contents (12)

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It’s pretty cool seeing how they have made all this data so readily available and easy to view in report form. Raw data is one thing, but they’ve taken that extra step and helped turn all this data into “information.”

Here’s an example result;