Appendix C: Recent Publications from the National Forum on Education Statistics

The publications listed on the following pages can be accessed at http://nces.ed.gov/forum/ publications.asp.

Forum Guide to Core Finance Data Elements (2007)
	This publication establishes current and consistent terms and definitions for maintaining, collecting, reporting, and exchanging comparable information related to education finances. It is designed to accompany Financial Accounting for Local and State School Systems: 2003 Edition by identifying common reporting requirements and defining frequently used indicators and calculations that use data elements from accounting and other data systems.
Forum Curriculum for Improving Education Data: A Resource for Local Education Agencies (2007)
	This resource supports efforts to improve the quality of education data by serving as training materials for K–12 school and district staff. It provides lesson plans, instructional handouts, and related resources, and presents concepts necessary to help schools develop a culture for improving data quality.
Forum Guide to Decision Support Systems: A Resource for Educators (2006)
	This NCES/Forum guide was developed to help the education community better understand what decision support systems are, how they are configured, how they operate, and how they might be developed and implemented in an education setting.
Forum Guide to Elementary/Secondary Virtual Education (2006)
	This publication offers recommendations for collecting accurate, comparable, and useful data about virtual education in the elementary/secondary education setting. It highlights policy questions and data elements that are critical to meeting the information needs of policymakers, administrators, instructors, and parents involved in virtual education.
Forum Guide to the Privacy of Student Information: A Resource for Schools (2006)
	This publication was written to help school and local education agency staff better understand and apply the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, a federal law that protects the privacy interests of parents and students with respect to information maintained in student education records. It defines terms such as “education records” and “directory information”; and offers guidance for developing appropriate privacy policies and information disclosure procedures related to military recruiting, parental rights and annual notification, videotaping, online information, media releases, surveillance cameras, and health-related information.
Accounting for Every Student: A Taxonomy for Standard Student Exit Codes (2006)
	This publication was developed to help education agencies develop effective information systems for tracking the enrollment status of students. It presents a student-level exit code taxonomy for states and districts that accounts for 100 percent (and not 90 percent or 110 percent) of all students. It also offers “best practice” advice regarding effective practices for tracking students, collecting exit codes data, and distinguishing among high school completion credentials.
Forum Guide to Education Indicators (2005)
	This publication provides encyclopedia-type entries for 44 commonly used education indicators. Each indicator entry includes a definition, recommended uses, usage caveats and cautions, related policy questions, data element components, a formula, commonly reported subgroups, and display suggestions. The Guide will help readers better understand how to appropriately develop, apply, and interpret commonly used education indicators.
Forum Guide to Building a Culture of Quality Data: A School and District Resource (2005)
	This publication provides encyclopedia-type entries for 44 commonly used education indicators. Each indicator entry includes a definition, recommended uses, usage caveats and cautions, related policy questions, data element components, a formula, commonly reported subgroups, and display suggestions. The Guide will help readers better understand how to appropriately develop, apply, and interpret commonly used education indicators.
Forum Unified Education Technology Suite (2005)
	This publication provides encyclopedia-type entries for 44 commonly used education indicators. Each indicator entry includes a definition, recommended uses, usage caveats and cautions, related policy questions, data element components, a formula, commonly reported subgroups, and display suggestions. The Guide will help readers better understand how to appropriately develop, apply, and interpret commonly used education indicators.
Forum Guide to Protecting the Privacy of Student Information: State and Local Education Agencies (2004)
	This publication presents a general overview of privacy laws and professional practices that apply to information collected for, and maintained in, student records. The Guide provides an overview of key principles and concepts governing student privacy; summarizes federal privacy laws; identifies issues concerning the release of information to both parents and external organizations; and suggests good data management practices for schools, districts, and state education agencies.
Facilities Information Management: A Guide for State and Local Education Agencies (2003)
	This publication provides a framework for identifying a basic set of school facilities data elements and definitions that will meet the information needs of school and community decisionmakers, school facility managers, and the general public. It presents recommendations for designing and maintaining an information system that addresses the condition, design, use, management, and financing of elementary/secondary education facilities. It also includes commonly used measures, data elements, and a list of additional resources for the practitioner.
Planning Guide for Maintaining School Facilities (2003)
	This publication is intended to help school facilities managers plan for efficient and effective operations. It provides practical advice on a range of topics, including how to conduct a facilities audit, planning for maintenance to ensure smooth operations and avoid costly surprises, managing staff and contractors, and evaluating maintenance efforts.

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