Introduction
The Education Data Warehouse (EDW) was conceived and developed as a tool to serve the education information interests of the legislature, the Governor, Florida Department of Education, public education systems, as well as the general public, by providing data that follows student cohorts over time to determine trends that can be used to support educational research.
The EDW’s primary purpose is to support funding of local education agencies, required state and federal reporting, education accountability, and public reporting. Research outside the department is supported as resources are available.
State and federal laws governing the release of student records apply to the release of data from the EDW. Under no circumstances shall records and reports be released by the EDW, to any party, unless such release is in strict accordance with the provisions, and to the entities identified in, Public Law 93-80--Privacy Rights of Parents and Students, commonly known as the "Buckley Amendment"; the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), 20 U.S.C. § 1232g and 34 CFR Part 99 and the State Public Records Law, Title X, Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, including express exceptions to Section 119.07(1), Florida Statutes, as the same may be amended from time to time.
The Research Proposal Process
Researchers who wish to gain access to data in the EDW should first develop and submit a proposal to the EDW proposal administrator. The proposal administrator and department experts on subject matter, datasets, and policy review each proposal. Proposals are reviewed for approval based on:
- Demonstration of clear benefits to the development of education policy within the state of Florida.
- Demonstration of clear need for student-level data.
- Demonstration of sound scientific merit through the appropriate application of methodology and use of data.
The EDW strongly encourages researchers to consider the time involved in this process. Researchers should expect a minimum of three months from the time a final and complete proposal is submitted to an approved or not approved notification.
Once approved, the research proposal enters a queue with other approved requests. The EDW is committed to providing approved requests for data as soon as possible; however, from time-to-time priorities require modification to address concerns from the Governor, Legislature, and State Board of Education. These modifications to workloads often cause unforseen delays in the delivery of data for research projects.
To submit a research proposal and begin the approval process, see Research Access for instructions and required forms.
