Overview

The Hawkins-Stafford Education Improvement Amendments of 1988 (Public Law 100-297) established the National Cooperative Education Statistics System to "produce and maintain, with the cooperation of the States, comparable and uniform education statistics." To assist in meeting this goal, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) created the National Forum on Education Statistics (the Forum).

The Forum strives to provide states, districts, and schools with helpful advice on the collection, maintenance, and use of elementary and secondary education data. To this end, Forum members—a diverse group 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—work collaboratively to address problems, develop resources, identify best practices, and consider new approaches to improving data collection and utility, all while remaining sensitive to privacy concerns and administrative burden.

Federal, state, and local education agencies have been using Forum products for over two decades to inform data system planning and development efforts. 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 a large collection of other helpful resources related to education data.

The Forum PowerPoint Presentation (5 MB) provides information on Forum goals, membership, resources, and upcoming events.

Publications of the National Forum on Education Statistics do not undergo the formal review required for products of the National Center for Education Statistics. The information and opinions published here are the product of the National Forum on Education Statistics and do not necessarily represent the policy or views of the U.S. Department of Education or the National Center for Education Statistics.