Dear Governor/Chief State School Officer:

We have come to recognize as policymakers that good data is indispensable to good decision-making. In education, we need to know how our students, schools, and school districts are performing in a number of critical areas. With good information we can make decisions about policy and the allocation of resources that will foster improved performance. Without it, we are trying to navigate without a compass, relying on instinct and anecdote to address complex issues, and running a much higher risk of failure.

The reports of the National Education Goals Panel are an important source of the information we need. The Panel’s annual reports provide comparable state-by-state data on 33 indicators that track the performance of our states in critical areas relating to children and their education. This rich array of information is available in part because Governors have been advocates for data collection in their states, and we thank you for that.

However, certain data gaps exist in nearly every state. In addition, the rich student achievement data from tests such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) or the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) are available for our states only if we make the conscious decision to participate each time they are offered.

Enclosed with this letter are information sheets for those areas where data gaps exist in your state. These sheets identify the data collection targets and procedures, report any costs to the state, and list a contact person for more information on participating in future data collections. There is also information about the next round of NAEP tests in mathematics and science to be given in 2000.

Finally, there is information about the Third International Mathematics and Science Study—Replication (TIMSS-R) to be administered to eighth-grade students in the spring of 1999. In 1995, a handful of states and school districts administered TIMSS to their students and as a consequence have access to internationally benchmarked data that can be used to improve their education systems. TIMSS-R offers the opportunity for states, large districts, and consortia of smaller districts to have access to the same high quality data that they can use for analysis and improvement.

The cohort of eighth-graders who will take TIMSS-R is the same group that took TIMSS as fourth-graders. As fourth-graders, they performed well against the best in the world. Their performance as eighth-graders will provide valuable insights into the performance of our school systems during those critical four years. However, quick action may be needed on your part, because the deadline for committing to participate in TIMSS-R is September 30, 1998.

We urge you to review the enclosed information and work with education leaders to address the data gaps in your state. This kind of information is invaluable to policymakers and helps us to be more effective in what we do. Thank you for your continuing commitment to improving education for children in your state. We and the other members of the National Education Goals Panel look forward to working with you in the future.