5.1 Right to Information and Data Collection

Section 5.1 on the Right to Information and Data Collection focuses on access for policy-makers and stakeholders to all relevant information on educational programs and services, funding sources and budget allocations, policies and procedures, as well as data on educational outcomes disaggregated by demographic characteristics described in the chapter. It requires that information and data be easily accessible and understandable for all stakeholders. The policy requires that all data be collected and broken down by a list of demographic groups, including by age, race and ethnicity, gender, income level, disability, English Language Learners, court involved youth, homeless youth and youth in foster care. It also requires that common definitions be used for education indicators like graduation rate, attendance rate, dropout, voluntary transfer, involuntary transfer, expulsion, suspension, disparate impact and disparity. The recommendations include the types of information that states, districts and schools should collect and make available on education programs, policies and funding, and the categories of data that they should collect, including graduation rates, test scores, enrollment, attendance, dropouts, discharges, transfers to alternative schools, disciplinary incidents and responses, interactions with police, reenrollment information and student, parent and teacher surveys on school climate.