Forum Guide to Metadata - NFES 2021110 - Foreword and publication overview

Oct 15, 2026

Forum Guide to Metadata (NFES 2021110) explains how metadata supports sound education data management across early childhood, elementary, and secondary levels. It outlines the cooperative education statistics initiative led by NCES and the role of the National Forum on Education Statistics in proposing good practices. The foreword describes the document’s purpose, publication objectives, and intended audience, and previews the resource’s organization, including four chapters covering concepts, varied uses, implementation planning, and metadata case studies.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages53

Reading Time2 h 14 min

AccessFree to download

Foreword

Publication Objectives

Intended Audience

Organization of This Resource

National Cooperative Education Statistics System The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) established the National Cooperative Education Statistics System (Cooperative System) to assist in producing and maintaining comparable and uniform information and data on early childhood, elementary, and secondary education. These data are intended to be useful for policymaking at the federal, state, and local levels. The National Forum on Education Statistics (Forum) is an entity of the Cooperative System and, among its other activities, proposes principles of good practice to assist state and local education agencies in meeting this purpose. The Cooperative System and the Forum are supported in these endeavors by resources from NCES. Publications of the Forum do not undergo the same formal review required for products of NCES. The information and opinions published here are those of the Forum and do not necessarily represent the policy or views of NCES, the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), or the U.S. Department of Education (ED) . November 2021 This publication and other publications of the National Forum on Education Statistics may be found at the websites listed below. The NCES Home Page address is [http://nces.ed.gov](http://nces.ed.gov) The NCES Publications and Products address is [http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch](http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch) The Forum Home Page address is [http://nces.ed.gov/forum](http://nces.ed.gov/forum) This publication was prepared in part under Contract No. ED-IES-16-Q-0009 with Quality Information Partners, Inc. Mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations does not imply endorsement by the U.S. government. Suggested Citation National Forum on Education Statistics. (2021) . Forum Guide to Metadata (NFES 2021110) . U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. Technical Contact: Ghedam Bairu (202) 245-6644 [Ghedam.Bairu@ed.gov](Ghedam.Bairu@ed.gov) Foreword The Forum is pleased to present the Forum Guide to Metadata. The purpose of this document is to provide timely and useful best practice information on metadata, including information on how metadata can help manage data complications and improve data quality. This information is intended to help agencies use metadata to document operational changes that impact data. Publication Objectives In 2009, the Forum sought to further one of its chief goals, to improve the quality of education data gathered for use by policymakers and program decisionmakers, by developing a “best practice” guide to address the appropriate and effective use of metadata. To this end, the Forum produced the Forum Guide to Metadata: The Meaning Behind Education Data ([https://](https://)[ ](https://)[nces.ed.gov/pubs2009/2009805.pdf](nces.ed.gov/pubs2009/2009805.pdf)). This new publication advances the 2009 version to focus on the use of metadata by education data specialists and the public at large. Information in the guide has been reorganized and updated and features current metadata-related case studies provided by members of the Forum. Note: Work on this update began during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020. Although the updated guide does not focus specifically on the pandemic, it includes content highlighting the importance of quality education data and metadata in the context of a widespread health emergency. Intended Audience The 2009 version of this guide targeted an audience of local and state education agency (LEA and SEA) staff members. This updated version addresses a broader readership in the education data world, including teachers, data stewards, data managers, and federal staffat ED. Organization of This Resource This resource includes the following chapters: • Chapter 1 introduces the concept of metadata, or data about data, especially as related to education agencies and education data systems, and discusses metadata asa cr

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the Forum Guide to Metadata?

To provide timely, useful best-practice information on metadata and explain how metadata helps manage data complications and improve data quality.

Who is the intended audience for this updated guide?

The updated version targets a broader readership, including teachers, data stewards, data managers, and federal staff at ED, beyond LEA and SEA staff from the 2009 version.

How is the resource organized?

It includes four chapters: an introduction to metadata concepts and benefits, a chapter on varied metadata uses, a chapter on planning for implementation, and a chapter of metadata-related case studies from SEA and LEA levels.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Riley West