Integration of GIS and educational achievement data for education policy analysis and decision-making

Effective exploration and analysis of spatially referenced educational achievement data can help educational stakeholders and policy analysts accelerate interpretation of datasets to gain valuable insights. This demonstration will present a system developed in the National Office for Research on Measurement and Evaluation Systems (NORMES) for supporting web-based interactive exploration of state-wide educational data. The statewide statistical summaries are presented in thematic maps generated by Geographic Information System (GIS). Visual analysis of the thematic maps can help educational policy analysts to "see" complex spatial relationships and to detect patterns easily. Linking among GIS maps allows educators to interactively "drill down" through a hierarchy of geopolitical levels and to visualize statistical graphics and tables which are dynamically generated using Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) script language. Through building up the relationships between maps, graphs, and databases, this interactive system allows administrators to gain an enhanced understanding of what is occurring in schools, and allow the policy analysts to generate more accurate and effective policy decisions.