The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) is an investment of the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences. Its purpose is to provide educators, policymakers, researchers, and the public with a central and trusted source of scientific evidence on what works in education. The WWC's goal is to produce high-quality products that help…

Reporting requirements for capturing data on the delivery of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) have evolved. University of Minnesota (U of M) Extension developed the SNAP Education Evaluation and Database System (SEEDS) to capture unduplicated participant information for SNAP-Ed programming conducted by U of M Extension…

In this article, I discuss the potential uses of the Department of Labor-sponsored Occupational Information Network (O*NET) in the classroom context. O*NET is a free, publicly available resource that provides an array of occupation-specific information, such as relevant tasks, knowledge, skills, abilities, and salary information. Tools such as the…

An integrated data system (IDS) that links information from separate administrative data systems offers policymakers, program administrators and researchers a powerful tool to analyze interactive effects across systems and make more informed decisions to improve outcomes for vulnerable families. This case study discusses how two states (Washington…

This case describes a database redesign project for the United States Department of Agriculture's National Animal Germplasm Program (NAGP). The case provides a valuable context for teaching and practicing database analysis, design, and implementation skills, and can be used as the basis for a semester-long team project. The case demonstrates the…

As the only federal funding stream that provides dedicated funds for afterschool programs across the country, the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) initiative plays an important role in supporting the innovation that takes place in afterschool programs. Social innovation has been defined as "a novel solution to a social…

The "cyberinfrastucture" is a broad informational network that entails connections to real-time data sensors as well as tools that permit visualization and other forms of analysis, and that facilitates access to vast scientific databases. This multifaceted network, already a major boon to scientific discovery, now shows exceptional promise in…

Describes the Energy Information Administration (EIA) and the Technical Information Center (TIC), and lists databases accessible online to the Department of Energy and its contractors through DOE/RECON. (RAA)

Describes the development of a prototype database of federal food, agriculture, and nutrition programs: preliminary work; database design, including the identification of data elements; and data collection and processing. The uses of the database and suggestions for enhancing its future usefulness are discussed. (Author/JD)

Describes the use of the federal Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and how it can be used to make informed comparisons of institutions of higher education. (EV)

This report discusses the program and plans of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) for 1979-80. The publication provides an overview of the major program activities for fiscal year 1979 and plans for 1980. The center provides data to monitor trends in education and address key policy issues. These data are supplemented by special…

Focuses on the information aspects of the Grace Commission's (President's Private Sector Survey on Cost Control) findings and recommendations contained in the report on federal research and development. Research project reporting and redundancy, database provided by National Technical Information Service, cost controls, and measuring research and…

Discusses the status of a pilot project undertaken by the ERIC facility to provide access to education-related statistical tapes. Procedures developed for the identification of sources of such tapes, documentation for the tapes, and the creation of surrogate records for cataloging, indexing, and abstracting are described. (seven references) (CLB)

Examines the issue of whether or not federal government-generated databases reside in the public domain. Discusses a 1973 Supreme Court decision (Williams & Wilkins v. The United States), the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, and terms and conditions listed on various government databases. (MES)

Describes the methods and results of the transfer of the SCAN bibliographic database, sponsored by the Administration on Aging (AoA) to the private sector American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) when Congress repealed authority for AoA. Steps involved in the establishment of a bibliographic database are outlined. Four sources are given.…