NATIONAL FORUM ON EDUCATION STATISTICS

The Hawkins-Stafford Education Improvement Amendments of 1988 (Public Law 100-297) established the National Cooperative Education Statistics System. This responsibility is retained under the Education Science Reform Act of 2002, which gives NCES authority to establish a cooperative system that would "produce and maintain, with the cooperation of the states, comparable and uniform education statistics." To assist in meeting the mandate, NCES established the National Forum on Education Statistics ... (Forum). The Forum is a voluntary, democratic, participative, and cooperative federal-state-local body with a mission to plan, develop and recommend education data resources that will support local, state, and national efforts to improve public and private education throughout the United States. The Forum is comprised of representatives from state and local education agencies (appointed by their state's superintendent), the federal government, and other organizations with an interest in education data. Forum members work collaboratively to address problems, identify best practices, develop resources, and consider new approaches to improving data collection and utility, all while remaining sensitive to privacy concerns and administrative burden. All Forum publications and resources are free of charge and can be accessed through this website, along with detailed information about the organization, upcoming events, and other resources related to education data.More