The Common Data Set
(CDS) initiative is a collaborative effort among data providers in the higher education
community and publishers as represented by the College Board, Peterson's, and U.S.
News & World Report. The combined goal of this collaboration is to improve the
quality and accuracy of information provided to all involved in a student's transition
into higher education, as well as to reduce the reporting burden on data providers.
The CDS is a set of standards and definitions of data items rather than a survey
instrument or set of data represented in a database. Each of the higher education
surveys conducted by the participating publishers incorporates items from the CDS
as well as unique items proprietary to each publisher.
IPEDS is the core postsecondary
education data collection program for the National Center for Education Statistics
(NCES). Data is collected from all primary providers of postsecondary education
in the country in such areas as enrollments, program completions, graduation rates,
faculty, staff, finances, institutional prices, and student financial aid. This
data is made available on the IPEDS website to students, researchers and others.
Components Include:
- IC - Institutional Characteristics
- C - Completions
- EF - Enrollment
- GRS - Graduation Rates
- SFA - Student Financial Aid
- HR - Human Resources
- F – Finance
The IPEDS Peer Analysis System
is designed to enable a user to compare a postsecondary institution of the user’s
choice to a group of peer institutions which are also selected by the user. It provides
a variety of analytical features for peer analysis. This includes the ability to
create new calculated variables, to sort and rank schools based on the data items
selected, and to view standard report templates.
Part of the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences, the
National Center for Education Statistics
(NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing education-related
data. NCES fulfills a Congressional mandate to collect, analyze, and report statistics
on American education; conduct and publish reports; and review and report on education
activities internationally.
The Education Trust
advances its mission along several fronts, from raising its voice in national and
state policy debates to helping teachers improve instruction in their classrooms.
Regardless of where it occurs, the Education Trust’s work maintains a relentless
focus on improving the education of all students, and particularly those students
whom the system has traditionally left behind.
The Education Trust
provides:
- Advocacy that encourages schools, colleges, and whole communities to mount effective
campaigns so that all their students will reach high levels of academic achievement.
- Analysis and expert testimony on policies intended to improve education; and writing
and speaking for professional and general audiences about educational patterns and
practices — both those that cause and those that close achievement gaps between
groups of students.
- Research and wide public dissemination of data identifying achievement patterns
among different groups of students.
- Assistance to school districts, colleges, and community-based organizations to help
their efforts at raising student achievement, especially among minority and poor
students.
The Commission on Colleges
of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is the recognized regional accrediting
body in the eleven U.S. Southern states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia) and
in Latin America for those institutions of higher education that award associate,
baccalaureate, master's or doctoral degrees. The Commission on Colleges is the representative
body of the College Delegate Assembly and is charged with carrying out the accreditation
process.
