School-level Data from Non-governmental Sources
The emphasis on evidenced-based research and practice in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has spawned at least two private sector efforts to provide school-level data on academics and environment.
Standard & Poor’s has published School Matters – http://www.SchoolMatters.com. (Please see the “User Advisory” tab at “About Us.”)
SchoolMatters summarizes demographics and academics at the state level. Data on “school environment” are being developed. SchoolMatters is sorted by State, School District, and School, including data about students, schools, school districts, a spending summary per pupil, student performance on state reading and math, student performance on national reading and math, special needs students, and adult education levels. A unique feature of the site is the Standard & Poor’s ratios. These ratios were derived to help education stakeholders understand the complexity surrounding public education. A cautionary note is provided on the appropriate use of the ratios. Data on “school environment” are being developed.
“SchoolMatters is provided by the Education Data Partnership, which was created to help transform the way education information is used by educators, policymakers, superintendents, and parents. The Education Data Partnership is a collaborative effort of the Council of Chief State School Officers, Standard & Poor's School Evaluation Services, Achieve, Inc., and the CELT Corporation and is generously funded by The Broad Foundation and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.”
According to Standard & Poor’s, “SchoolMatters gives policymakers, educators, and parents the tools they need to make better-informed decisions that improve student performance. SchoolMatters will educate, empower, and engage education stakeholders.
• The information and analysis will educate Americans about how schools
and school districts are performing and help them understand the complex relationship
between achievement and investment.
• SchoolMatters will empower educators and policymakers, giving them easy
access to the information they need to craft strong education policies.
• Finally, SchoolMatters will engage the public in a widespread movement
to improve our nation's school systems. For the first time, parents and the
general public will have instant access to a wide range of data on local schools
and schools districts, enabling them to make informed decisions, ranging from
policies they advocate to the schools their children attend.”
Century 21 has released a new sub site – http://www.century21.com/NK/Viewer/ – which summarizes syndicated data at the school level and crime data at the neighborhood level. The data are based on the neighborhood and indexed by zip code. Data include resident demographics (e.g., age, households, income), safety and environment (e.g., crime and pollution), and weather. The data are a sampling of schools extending from the center of the zip code and thus are an incomplete listing of buildings. Please contact the local Century 21 office for more complete information about the schools in a particular neighborhood.
Disclaimer: This information is being provided as a convenience and for informational
purposes only; the information does not constitute an endorsement or an approval
by the Hamilton Fish Institute, The George Washington University, or the U.S.
Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice
and Delinquency Prevention, of any of the products, services or opinions of
the corporation or organization or individual. The Hamilton Fish Institute,
The George Washington University, and the U.S. Department of Justice, Office
of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention bear
no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of the information or
for that of subsequent links. Contact Standard & Poor’s or Century
21 for answers to questions regarding content of the Web sites.
Page Updated: April 20, 2005
