The Information Dimension of Education Financing Decisions:

Data Needs, Systems, and Strategies

Sharon S. Dawes

Anthony M. Cresswell

Outline

• An information-centric perspective on a response to CFE

• Information needs

• Information gaps

• Architecture and process perspectives

• Recommendations

An Information Perspective

• Strategy and management v. reporting

• Holistic perspective on information needs and sources

• Emphasis on information integration

• Value of multiple information types

Information Needs

• For decisions:– school accountability, state policies & allocation

mechanisms, local funding & allocation mechanisms, determining content & methods, managing resources & process for results

• For stakeholders:– parents, students, staff, boards, state & federal

officials, taxpayers, employers, local govt.

Information Resources• State & federal reports (125+)

• Data collection & repository systems (LEAP, STEP, BEDS)

• School Report Card

• School & district levels MIS

• Other statistics: Census, employment, external testing (SAT, GED, etc), research

Information Gaps

• Lack of agreement on or methods for outcome measurement

• No overall enterprise architecture or integration framework

• Inadequate process models and data sources

• Weak quality assurance mechanisms

EFFECTIVEDEMAND

SOCIAL DEMAND EDUCATION

INSTITUTIONALCAPACITY

EFFECTIVESUPPLY

ADVANCE

ACHIEVE

ATTENDAdmin.

Decisions

Operations

Resources

Policies

Family

Community

Economy

Individual

An Enterprise Framework

Missing Links

Input Equity

EffectiveProcess

EquitableOutcomes

? ?

Process Model Contradictions

• “Emphasize results over process”

• “Promote data driven decision making at state and local levels”

A Proposal on Planning and Reporting By New York State School Districts For the Strategic Use of School Resources for School Improvement, SED 2003.

CMM-based Staged Maturity Levels / Process Capabilities

Process unpredictable, poorly controlled and reactive

Process characterized for projects and is often reactive

Process characterized for the organization

Process measuredand statistically controlled

Emphasis on continuousimprovement

1

2

3

4

5

QuantitativelyManaged

Performed

Optimizing

Defined

Managed

In Out

In Out

In Out

In Out

In Out

Recommendations

• Develop outcome measures

• Begin enterprise architecture planning

• Engage in process modeling

• Map information needs to core processes

• Acquire new types of information

• Enhance information integration

The Information Dimension of Education Financing Decisions:Data Needs, Systems, and Strategies

Sharon S. Dawes

Anthony M. Cresswell

Thank you

The Information Dimension of Education Financing Decisions:Data Needs, Systems, and Strategies

Sharon S. Dawes

Anthony M. Cresswell

Thank you