New U.S. Department of Education online tool allows for more transparency
In an effort to create more transparency and foster communication between schools and parents, the U.S. Department of Education launched a new website with the hopes of bridging the gap between two of the most important parties in the lives of the nation's children. The United States Education Dashboard will highlight pertinent state and national education data and will also act as a forum for communities to discuss their issues and concerns. The Dashboard will also provide users with information on the progress the department is making at each academic level, whether it be early childhood, elementary, secondary or post-secondary.
"The Dashboard highlights both our successes and challenges while providing a new level of transparency that is absolutely essential to our efforts to accelerate student achievement," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "We hope communities will use this information to determine where we need to focus on reforms and investments in education."
According to a press release, the website is part of the Obama administration's push for the U.S. to once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by the year 2020. The first iteration of the Dashboard uses 16 indicators for the progress of the nation's schools that span all academic levels. Dashboard users will be able to compare their state's education data to that of neighboring ones as well as the entire country as a whole. The Department of Education intends on adding additional indicators and data as the information becomes available and/or relevant.
Visit the United States Education Dashboard.
