A data model is a structured description of how data are represented, organized, and accessed in an information system. A data model defines the data objects contained in an information system, the relationships between these data objects, and how the information is to be used. Data models are often represented as entity relationship diagrams. They support the development of information or data management systems, enable the exchange of data, enhance application maintainability, and can be imported in parts or whole to reduce the time and cost of developing new systems or redesigning existing ones.
The Education Data Model is the first non-proprietary national education data model to help schools, local education agencies (LEAs), and states design or guide the selection of systems for instructional delivery, data driven decision making, data collection, operations, and reporting. It is a comprehensive, localized, conceptual model that provides a generic blueprint for schools and districts. This blueprint enables schools to evaluate and improve instructional tools, communicate those needs to their umbrella agency or directly to vendors, enhance the movement of student information from one LEA to another, and in the end, have better tools to inform instruction. Using a standard Education Data Model as a starting point contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the need for data, how data are used, and the questions that can be answered with the data.
Data modeling consists of a family of techniques used to describe the types of information important to an enterprise. The enterprise of education requires continuous and wide-ranging information-based conversations to facilitate everything from teaching and learning processes to making federal policy decisions. Data modeling makes it possible to organize that information so that it can be used effectively and efficiently.
Overall, data modeling is a critical tool in providing the information that enterprises need to thrive and to comply with government regulations and industry standards. Data modeling is no longer limited to databases nor is it still viewed as just a tool for information technology (IT) staff. Rather, it is an increasingly expected tool for designing, visualizing, and communicating about education data, data systems, and analyses.
The Education Data Model details a conceptual representation of the education information domain focused at the student, instructor and course/class levels. It delineates the relationships and interdependencies between the data elements necessary to document, operate, track, evaluate, and improve key aspects of an education system. The Model aspires to be a comprehensive, non-proprietary inventory and a map of education information that can be used by schools, LEAs, states, vendors, and researchers to identify the information required for teaching, learning, administrative systems, and evaluation of education programs and approaches. The Data Model will continue to develop and expand in a manner open to all education stakeholders.
The development of the Data Model involved taking important education questions, issues, or processes, and identifying the things (entities) that need to be tracked in order to answer the question, address the issues, or reflect the processes involved.
Next, for each thing identified, appropriate measures or descriptions (attributes) of the things are identified that are required in order to answer the question, address the issue, or reflect the process.
Finally, the important logical relationships among the things (relations) are identified. These relations reflect the real-world function of each thing (entity) and add more meaning to the model.
