Common Core of Data (CCD)

2. USES OF DATA

The CCD collects three categories of information: (1) general descriptive information on schools and school districts, including name, address, and phone number.; (2) data on students and staff, including demographic characteristics (e.g., race/ethnicity); and (3) fiscal data covering revenues and current expenditures. The datasets within the CCD can be used separately or jointly to provide information on many topics related to education. The ease of linking CCD data with other datasets makes the CCD an even more valuable resource.

Not only is the CCD a source of data that can be used to demonstrate relationships between different school, district, and state characteristics, it can also provide a historical record of schools or agencies of interest. This information can shed light on how and why education in the United States is changing. The types of schools or districts that have changed the most with respect to a measured characteristic (e.g., proportion of Hispanic students) can be identified, and the reasons for these changes can be independently investigated. Similarly, the impact of state and local education policies and practices can be assessed through an examination of changes in school and district characteristics. For example, districts that have shown substantial improvement in their racial balance or interracial exposure indices can be identified. The policies and practices employed by these districts can then be examined. By identifying the presence of significant changes and where these changes are occurring, CCD data can help policymakers and practitioners better target their efforts and help researchers develop more sharply focused hypotheses for investigating key education issues.