Featured Data-Rich Websites

California Data Resources
National Data Resources

California Data Resources

California Basic Educational Data System (CBEDS)
www.cde.ca.gov/ds/sd/cb
CBEDS is a collection of data from California public schools (K–12), including information on student enrollment, graduates and dropouts, course enrollment, enrollment in alternative education, gifted and talented education, and more. Data is collected in October of each year.

California Department of Education (CDE) - Data & Statistics
www.cde.ca.gov/ds
The Data and Statistics Division is the starting point for data searches within of the California Department of Education. This page contains links to a number of sites listed below.

California Department of Education (CDE) - DataQuest
data1.cde.ca.gov/dataquest
DataQuest is the California Department of Education’s database on California schools and districts. This site provides performance, demographic, and other information on students, staffs, and schools.

California Department of Finance (DOF)
www.dof.ca.gov
www.dof.ca.gov/HTML/DEMOGRAP/druhpar.htm
The Department of Finance serves as the governor's chief financial advisor and publishes California's state budget. The DOF's Demographics Research Unit is also the single official source of demographic data for State planning and budgeting.

915 L Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
916/445-3878

Education Data Partnership (Ed-Data)
www.ed-data.k12.ca.us
Ed-Data is a joint venture of the Alameda County Office of Education (ACOE), the California Department of Education (CDE), EdSource, and the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT). This interactive database includes demographic and performance data for each California school, school district, county, and the state--plus detailed financial data at the school district, county, and statewide levels. The site contains user-friendly search functions for comparing schools and districts, trend data for tracking changes over time, and the results of districts' parcel tax and bond elections. Helpful for parents, policymakers, reporters, and educators, the Ed-Data Web site turns data into useful, clear information.

c/o EdSource
520 San Antonio Rd., Suite 200
Mountain View, CA 94040
650/917-9481
Fax: 650/917-9482
E-mail: ed-data@cde.ca.gov

Great Schools
www.greatschools.net
Great Schools is a nonprofit organization that provides information on public and private schools in all 50 states. Geared toward parents and educators, Great Schools also provides tools to help visitors search for and compare schools, and content designed to help people understand and improve schools.

965 Mission St., Suite 650
San Francisco, CA 94103
415/977-0700
Fax: 415/977-0704

Just for the Kids
Just for the Kids - California
www.just4kids.org
www.jftk-ca.org
Just for the Kids, an affiliate of the National Center for Educational Accountability, uses information obtained from state departments of education to generate Just for the Kids School Reports. School leaders, teachers, parents, and interested community members can identify how their schools are performing compared to other schools in their states with similar or more disadvantaged student populations, and learn what the highest-performing schools are doing to raise test scores. In addition to the Just for the Kids California School Reports available on the national site, additional reports, tailored for California, are available through the state-specific Just for the Kids - California website.

Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO)
www.lao.ca.gov
The Office of the Legislative Analyst (LAO) is a nonpartisan office within the state government that gives fiscal and policy advice to the California Legislature. The LAO provides analyses of proposed and adopted state budgets and also offers the public information about state initiatives and ballot propositions. The LAO also provides Cal Facts online, which consists of charts and tables which address questions frequently asked of their office on such topics as public and education finance, and program trends in the state.

925 L St., Suite 1000
Sacramento, CA 95814
916/445-4656
Fax: 916/324-4281

Public Schools Accountability Act (PSAA)
www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/pa
Signed into law in California in April 1999, the PSAA outlines a comprehensive process for ranking schools based on specific criteria and improvement over time. This Act has four main components: the Academic Performance Index (API), Immediate Intervention/Underperforming Schools Program (II/USP), Award Programs related to the API, and Alternative Schools Accountability Model (ASAM). This page contains links to information on these components.

School Wise Press
www.schoolwisepress.com
School Wise Press is a commercial organization geared toward parents. It provides background information and links to articles on education topics as well as comparative data on each of California’s public schools. For a small fee, you can purchase profiles of individual schools.

85 Ashton Ave., Suite 200
San Francisco, CA 94112
800/247-8443
415/337-7971
Fax: 415/337-1146
E-mail: info@schoolwisepress.com

Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program
www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sr
Find STAR test results, sample test questions, regulations, and blueprints for STAR standards-based items on this site.

STAR Office
1430 N St., Suite 5408
Sacramento, CA 95814
916/445-8765
Fax: 916/319-0969

University of California and the California State University
www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/welcome.html
www.calstate.edu/explore/
Both sites offer admissions statistics; student, faculty, and staff demographics; and enrollment growth data.

National Data Resources

American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
www.aft.org
The American Federation of Teachers represents more than one million teachers, school support staff, higher education faculty and staff, health care professionals, and state & municipal employees. AFT's state and local affiliates mobilize around institutional, political and regulatory issues that affect members’ productivity and their ability to provide high-quality services.

555 New Jersey Ave., N.W.
Washington, DC 20001
202/879-4400

Education Finance Statistics Center
http://nces.ed.gov/edfin/
This site provides education finance information for elementary and secondary public and private education in the United States. The site features a search tool that allows users to compare the finances of one school district with that of districts sharing similar characteristics. In addition, users can view and download featured graphics of school finance data, as well as order the Common Core of Data (CCD) CD-ROM, a comprehensive, annual, national statistical database of information on all public elementary and secondary schools and districts.

Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC)
http://eric.ed.gov/
ERIC is a national information system funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences to provide access to education literature and resources. Revamped in 2004, the new ERIC uses the latest search and retrieval methods to cull education literature (journal articles, abstracts, and full texts) via one comprehensive database.

Just for the Kids
Just for the Kids - California
www.just4kids.org
www.jftk-ca.org
Just for the Kids, an affiliate of the National Center for Educational Accountability, uses information obtained from state departments of education to generate Just for the Kids School Reports. School leaders, teachers, parents, and interested community members can identify how their schools are performing compared to other schools in their states with similar or more disadvantaged student populations, and learn what the highest-performing schools are doing to raise test scores. In addition to the Just for the Kids California School Reports available on the national site, additional reports, tailored for California, are available through the state-specific Just for the Kids - California website.

National Census Bureau
www.census.gov
This comprehensive site provides American and international demographic and economic data. The site features the American FactFinder, a tool which helps users find population, income, homeownership, education, and other demographic data on their communities. This site is updated regularly with new data collections. Recent additions include the newest educational attainment data and the latest findings on poverty among working families.

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
nces.ed.gov
NCES is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the United States and other nations. This site features data from school and district locator tools; numerous compendia of education statistics; publications; and a searchable database of NCES tables and figures.

Institute of Ed Sciences, US Dept of Ed
1990 K St., NW
Washington, DC 20006
202/502-7300

National Center for Educational Accountability
www.nc4ea.org
The National Center for Educational Accountability is a collaborative effort of the Education Commission of the States, the University of Texas at Austin, and Just for the Kids. Their mission is to promote higher student achievement through the effective use of school and student data, and through identification of best practices.

4030-2 W. Braker Lane
Austin, TX 78759
512/232-0770
Fax: 512/232-0777
E-mail: jftk@just4kids.org

National Education Association (NEA)
www.nea.org
NEA is the oldest and largest teachers union in the nation, with nearly 3 million members working at all levels of education, pre-K–University. NEA and its affiliates lobby legislators for resources for schools, campaign for professional standards for the teaching profession, and promote academic freedom and the rights of school employees.

1201 16th St., NW
Washington, DC 20036
202/833-4000
Fax: 202/822-7974

School Matters
www.schoolmatters.com
School Matters is a public-private collaboration designed for parents, educators, and policymakers to improve school results using No Child Left Behind (NCLB) data. Created by Standard & Poor's, this website incorporates interactive tools from Standard & Poor's School Evaluation Services and the National Center for Educational Accountability's Just for the Kids. Available school, district, and state-level data that are required to be publicly reported under NCLB are included. The Broad Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education fund this initiative.

U.S. Charter Schools
www.uscharterschools.org
This site offers general information on charter schools including who typically starts these schools and why. It provides links to information on facilities, governance, human resources, funding sources, and other issues specific to running a charter school. It also includes state-by-state profiles of charter school laws and resources.