Production and Quality of Education Information

GAO discussed the condition of information on education in the United States, focusing on Department of Education information and data collection operations. GAO noted that: (1) federally sponsored research and statistical and evaluative information on education significantly declined during the past decade; (2) federal research awards for information gathering shifted away from new data collection to service-oriented activities and there were fewer educational research grants; (3) the procurement of information production shifted from grants to contracts; (4) activities which did not carry a congressional mandate were more vulnerable to fiscal constraints; (5) mandated activities frequently lacked special-resource appropriations and oversight; and (6) frequent leadership changes caused changes in priorities and activities. GAO also noted that fiscal constraints caused: (1) a decline in the relevance and timeliness of the National Assessment of Educational Progress; (2) relevance, timeliness, and technical adequacy problems in the Common Core of Data Program; and (3) a need to improve the Fast Response Survey System's reporting procedures. GAO believes that Education needs to: (1) systematically evaluate its information and data gathering activities; and (2) conduct both technical and broad-based oversight of these activities.