A Blue Print for Collecting School Facilities Data

Presenters Presenters Patty Johansen Utah State Office of Education Oona Cheung Council of Chief State School Officers

Condition of America’s Schools GAO:Schools need $112 billion to complete all repairs, renovations, and modernizations needed. NEA:$322 billion estimated for same purposes. NCES:Three-quarters of schools need to spend some money on repairs, renovations, and modernizations

Needs for the Future Adequate maintenance Technology integration Electric power Classroom wiring HVAC and lighting Indoor air quality Efficiency, operation, and maintenance Investing money wisely Food service Control systems

Data-Driven Decision Making Data Currently in Local, Multiple Systems State and Local Roles Lots of Policy Questions Needs “Building Blocks” of Data

Available Resources Student Data Handbook for Elementary, Secondary, and Early Childhood Education: 2000 Edition Staff Data Handbook for Elementary, Secondary, and Early Childhood Education (2001 Edition upcoming) Financial Accounting for Local and State School System Institution Data Handbook (to be developed) Guidelines and Data Definitions for Collecting Data About Technology in Schools Property Accounting: A Handbook of Standard Terminology and A Guide for Classifying Information About Education Property

Selecting Basic Data Elements: Assumptions 1. Maintained for administrative reasons at the school or district level 2. Standardized definitions, formats, and collection procedures enhance comparable statistics at all levels 3. Information about movable equipment excluded

Selecting Basic Data Elements: Criteria 1. Valid measures of desired indicators 2. Useful in research, analysis, reporting, long-range planning and projection, and budgeting 3. Necessary to satisfy the policy, planning and finance information needs for: a.Assessing current teaching and learning conditions b.Assessing the adequacy of building to support best educational practice

Continued Selecting Basic Data Elements: Criteria c.Assessing the sufficiency of school facilities for enrollment changes and community use d.Determining equity in the allocation and distribution of capital assets 4. Quantifiable and measurable 5. Consistently defined and recognized

Policy Questions A. What is the condition of teaching, learning, and support services environment? A1.What is the quality of the sites and building structures? A2.Are the facilities safe for occupancy? A3.Is there storage space for hazardous materials? A4.Is there a life-cycle replacement schedule in place for major components and systems? A5.Are there safety, communication, and security systems in place to deal with natural disasters, accidents, terrorism, and acts of violence? A6.Are the facilities being properly maintained? A7.Are the facilities well operated? A8.Are the buildings designed or retrofitted to meet the standards of the zones (e.g., seismic, flood, rain, snow, and wind) on which they are located?

Continued Policy Questions B.What is the ability of school buildings to support best educational practice? B1.Are there specialized instructional spaces and amenities in the school to support learning? B2.Are the school’s structure adequate in integrating computer technology? B3.If not, how much do we need to spend to change the infrastructure? B4.Are facilities in compliance with federal or state codes and regulations?

Continued Policy Questions C.Do schools provide sufficient space for changing enrollments and community use? C1.How is school space utilized? C2.What is the projected utilization of the school space? C3.How is school facility impacted by growing or shrinking enrollment? C4.Are schools able to support smaller class size? C5.Are the communities using our school buildings?

Continued Policy Questions D.Is the allocation and distribution of capital and operating funds adequate and equitable? D1.Is there planning for expected and unexpected expenditures? D2.Do you have enough information for building aid application? D3.How energy efficient are the facilities? D4.How much additional space do you need to meet increased enrollments? D5.How much would it cost to implement prevention measures? D6.Is the operating budget for school facilities adequate to maintain building in good repair on a life-cycle basis?

Other Considerations in Defining Important Data Elements Student Capacity Building Utilization Rate Adeqaucy

Selecting And Implementing Basic Data Elements That Will Address Local Needs Step 1:Identify and Involve Stakeholders Step 2:Identify Information Needs Step 3:Identify Data Elements That Generate the Information Needed Step 4:Review Data Element Definitions Step 5:Examine the Quality of Data Elements Using the Selection Criteria Step 6:Check the Efficiency of the Collective Body of Data Elements Step 7:Update Periodically the Set of Data Elements to Reflect Changes in Information

Procedures for Implementing Basic Data Elements 1. Adopt the Process for Selecting Basic Data Elements 2. Incorporate the Process into All Data Planning and Development Activities 3. Use the Basic Data Elements Report to Encourage Schools and Districts to Provide Better Quality Data 4. Provide Training and Support for Schools and Districts To Use the Basic Data 5. Advertise Compelling Reasons for Districts and Schools To Use the Basic Data 6. Work with Software Vendors to Incorporate the Basic Data Elements and Their Definitions