1. Module 3: Collecting Data: The School Census
A Training Course for the
Analysis and Reporting of Data from
Education Management Information Systems (EMIS)

2. Overview Collecting Data: The School Census Purpose of data collection
Principles of data collection
Sources of education data
Process of data collection

3. Purpose of Data Collection
The purpose of collecting data from schools is:
to understand the current state of education
to support sound policy analysis and decision making
School censuses provides up-to-date and reliable information about the performance of the education system as a whole
Purpose of Data Collection
In the education sector we use data collected from schools to understand the current state of education, and to support sound policy analysis and decision making. Data collected in school censuses and student rosters provides up-to-date and reliable information about the performance of the education system as a whole.

4. School census The school census:
collects relevant, reliable and comparable data from all schools at a national or state level
is used as the basis for policies, planning, management and informed decision-making at each level of the education system
provides feedback to school principals and teachers to improve teaching and leaning practices and school management
information is shared with key stakeholders such as national and local governments, community leaders, parents and the general public to inform on state of education sector.
Purpose of a school census
The annual school census collects relevant, reliable and comparable data from all schools in a country. The data, indicators and information produced by the school census can be used as the basis for policies, planning, management and informed decision-making at each level of the education system. School censuses also provide feedback to school principals and teachers so they can improve their practices in teaching, learning and school management. Information collected during school censuses are usually shared with key stakeholders such as national and local governments, community leaders, parents and the general public so that they stay informed about developments in the education sector.

5. Timing of a school census
School census is usually conducted every year within a month of the beginning of the school year
School census collects information about different aspects of a school, including
students
teachers
textbooks
facilities, etc.
Some countries conduct a second school census at the end of the school year to gather data on:
drop-outs and transfers
suspensions or expulsions
school income and expenditure
academic performance of students
Timing of a school census
The Ministry of Education usually conducts a school census every year within one month of the beginning of the school year, when school enrolments have stabilized. In school censuses, data are collected about different aspects of a school, including students, teachers, textbooks, finance, school facilities, etc. Some countries conduct a second school census at the end of the school year to gather data on the number of student drop-outs and transfers, suspensions or expulsions, school income and expenditure, and academic performance of students.

6. Principles of Data Collection
SCRAP principles of data collection:
Simplicity
Clarity
Relevance
Accuracy
Practicability
Principles of Data Collection
The five SCRAP principles of data collection should be observed when planning and conducting a school census:
Simplicity: collected data should be simple in concept and easy to measure.
Clarity: collected data should be clear, unambiguous, easy to interpret and understand.
Relevance: collected data should be relevant to the purpose of analysis.
Accuracy: collected data should accurately describe the topic of interest.
Practicability: collected data can be easily accessed and reliably used.

7. The Right Principles ‘5-right principles’: Get the right data
Get the data right
Get the data right away
Get the data the right way
Get the right data management
The Right Principles
These principles may be summarized simply as the following ‘5-right principles’:
Get the right data: data which are relevant to the specific topic or issue.
Get the data right: data with precise definition and appropriate method of measurement.
Get the data right away: current and timely data.
Get the data the right way: processes which guarantee data quality and ensure consistency.
Get the right data management: quality control of data conducted by relevant stakeholders

8. Burden of Data Collection
Reduce the burden on schools by only collecting data needed for:
administration of the education system
monitoring on national strategic plans
reporting on international commitments
The more data you require the schools to supply, the less data you will actually get…
‘Do not collect data that will not be used.’
Burden of Data Collection
To reduce the burden of data collection on schools, it is important to only collect data that is needed for the administration of the education system and for the reporting on national strategic plans and international commitments. Note that the more data you require the schools to supply, the less data you will actually get, because of the negative effects of an increased reporting burden on schools. Always respect the motto: ‘Do not collect data that will not be used.’

9. Sources of education data
The main sources of data for education planning and management are:
Sources of data
The five main sources of data for education planning and management are:

10. Schools and educational institutions
Schools and educational institutions are the key sources of data about education
School records contain data about education in the local area
Basis for reporting data in the annual school census.
Schools and educational institutions
Schools and educational institutions are the key sources of data about education. Records kept in these institutions contain data about education in the local area and are particularly useful as the basis for reporting data in response to the annual school census.

11. Students and teachers
Data collected from students and teachers provide information about:
access to and participation in the education system
quality of teaching and learning.
Example:
Data on teacher and student absences can help to identify the reasons why some children are not enrolled, drop out of school, or attend class irregularly
Students and teachers
Detailed information about individual students and teachers provide information about access to and participation in the education system, as well as the quality of teaching and learning. For example, collecting data on teacher and student absences can help to identify the reasons why some children are not enrolled, drop out of school, or attend class irregularly.

12. Local administration
The local government administration may record and regularly update information about the local area and population:
public institutions
facilities and programmes
infrastructure
employment
social welfare
disadvantaged groups
Local administration
The local government administration may record and regularly update information about the local area and its population. Local administrative bodies may also keep information about public institutions, facilities and programmes, infrastructure, employment, social welfare and especially the disadvantaged population groups.

13. Households and families
Private households and families are a key source of data:
social, economic and cultural background of families
demographic characteristics of household members
Households and families provide information for analysing external factors that affect access and retention in education, such as:
ethnicity language family size gender of head
nationality poverty age of head occupation
Households and families
Private households and families are another key source of data about education. Information on the social, economic and cultural background and the demographic characteristics of school-age children, youth and adults in the households are important for analysing external factors that affect access and retention in education.

14. Community sources Community sources of information: Health centres
Police stations
Churches
Local businesses
Media
NGOs
Community organisations
Community sources
Community sources of information can also provide useful data about education issues, such as:
• Health centres and health workers: family health status, epidemics, nutrition, and disabilities.
• Police stations: juvenile delinquency, crime, security, etc.
• Religious centres: disadvantaged people and religious groups
• Local businesses: employment situation, skills in demand, and vocational training needs.
• The media: community events; social activities; etc.
• NGOs: local development issues and disadvantaged people in the population
• Community organisations: children who are not attending school.

15. Process of data collection
The process of data collection must be systematic and based on well-defined procedures.
1: Identify information needs
2: Translate into categories
3: Design questionnaires
4. Collect data
5: Follow-up reminders
6: Verify data quality
7: Process data and storage
Process of data collection
While the methods of data collection depend upon the type and source of data, the process of data collection must be systematic and based on well-defined procedures. In the Pacific Islands region there are two main methods of data collection – the school questionnaire and the student roster.
The school questionnaire is most commonly used to collect information from schools, and the student roster provides information on individual students. The process of collecting data using a school census questionnaire and/or a student roster is outlined below.

16. Identify of information needs
Before designing a questionnaire, it is important to:
understand the kind of information that is needed and how it will be used
find out what specific information stakeholders need and how they intend to use the information
identify common information that should be collected through the school census
1: Identification of information needs
Before designing a questionnaire or collecting roster data, it is important to understand the kind of information that is needed and how it will be used. As different education stakeholders have different needs for information, we should find out what specific information they need and how they intend to use the information. By comparing the information needs of various stakeholders, it is possible to identify common information that should be collected through the school census.

17. Translate info into categories
The information needs should be prioritized and translated into specific data types and categories
Data categories provide a framework for designing the school census questionnaire
categories should be easy to understand
data types should describe format of the data
data should be available at the school level
2: Translation of information needs into data categories
After identifying the information that should be collected, the information should be prioritized and translated into specific data types and categories. These categories provide the framework for designing the school census questionnaire. The data categories should be easy to understand and the data available at the school level, so that the questionnaire can be easily completed.

18. Design and test questionnaires
Design the questionnaire and/or forms that will be used to collect data in school censuses
use questionnaires and/or forms as main data collection instrument
use interview schedules and observation sheets to collect qualitative data.
follow good research practice in the structure, format and layout of the questions
pre-test questionnaire with sample
respondents
3: Design, testing of forms/questionnaires
After selecting the data categories, the next step is to design the questionnaire and/or forms that will be used to collect data. While most school censuses use questionnaires or forms as the principal data collection instrument, interviews and observations can also be used to collect qualitative data. The design of the questionnaire should follow good research practice in the structure, format and layout of the questions.
The questionnaire should be pre-tested with a representative sample of targeted respondents to see how they understand and interpret the questions, and what kind of difficulties they face in trying to respond to each question. The feedback from the pre-test can then be used to fine-tune the design of the questionnaire, including the re-wording of questions and response-categories that were misinterpreted or misunderstood by the respondents.

19. Questionnaire design tips
respondent-friendly
general instructions
simple layout
clear language
logical question order
detailed instructions
space for answers
explanation of changes
It is important that:
the questionnaire is respondent-friendly, and uses courteous language
general instructions are provided about how to fill out the questionnaire
the layout of the form is simple and easy to follow
the questions and explanations are written in simple, clear language
the questionnaire should be short as possible, and the questions are in a logical order
clear instructions about how to complete each part of the questionnaire are provided
there is enough space on the questionnaire to answer each question
changes in the questionnaire from previous year are explained

20. Collecting the data Roles and Responsibilities:
School principals should provide the regional/district education offices with the completed questionnaire/forms.
Regional/district education offices
should supervise and support the schools in the data collection processes
ensure the completed questionnaires are sent to the Ministry of Education.
Ministry of Education is responsible for collecting data on the education system at the national level
4. Collecting the data
The collection of data at the school level is the responsibility of the school principals who should provide the district education officers with the completed questionnaire/forms. The district education officers should supervise and support the schools in the data collection processes, and ensure the completed questionnaires are sent to the Ministry of Education. The Ministry of Education is primarily responsible for collecting data on the education system at the national level.

21. Stages of Data Collection
Set dates
Register schools
Distribute forms
Complete forms
Collect forms
a) Date of data collection
b) School registry and list
c) Distribution of questionnaire
d) Completion of questionnaire
e) Collection of questionnaires
a) Date of data collection
The annual school censuses are often taken early in the school year at a time when enrolments have stabilized, usually a month after the school year has commenced. The Ministry of Education determines the dates for the census in line with national education regulations. A deadline for the return of completed questionnaires should allow enough time for the schools to prepare data and complete the questionnaire.
b) School registry and list of respondents
The Ministry of Education should establish a system to track the distribution of questionnaires and record receipt of the completed questionnaires. The school registry, which contains a comprehensive list of all schools and contact details of the school principals, should be updated for this purpose.
c) Distribution of the questionnaire to the respondents
The Ministry of Education should distribute the questionnaires and/or forms to all the schools that are listed in the school registry, either by mail or through district education offices. The dissemination of the questionnaire may be in paper form or use electronic media such as , CD-ROM, or USB key. Increasingly, the internet is being used to collect data from schools through direct online access to a central website.
d) Completion of the questionnaire
While school principals are responsible for completing the school census questionnaire, it is important for district education officers to ensure that any problems and issues with completing the questionnaire accurately are addressed, and especially ensuring that all parts of the questionnaire are completed properly.
e) Collection
The completed questionnaires are collected by the district education officers, and then sent to the Ministry of Education. Often, a copy of the completed questionnaire is kept at the education office at district and/or provincial level. When using the Internet, schools can either return the electronic questionnaire file by , or be given an authorized log-on to the Ministry of Education website in order to fill out the questionnaire online.

22. Follow-up reminders
Regional/provincial/district education offices should:
maintain regular contact with schools in their area to ensure that questionnaires are completed on time
remind schools about the deadline for returning the completed questionnaire and assist them if they need help
Ministry/Department of Education should:
track the reporting status of each school using the register
inform district education offices to follow-up schools which have not returned their questionnaires
5: Follow-up reminders
District education officers should maintain regular contact with all the schools in their district to ensure that completed questionnaires are completed on time. It is the district education officer’s responsibility to remind schools about the deadline for returning the completed questionnaire and assist them if they need help. The Ministry of Education should track the reporting status of each school and inform district education officers to follow-up in reminding and assisting those schools that have not returned the questionnaire on time.

23. Data verification
Data verification is the process of cross-checking completed questionnaires for completeness and accuracy to ensure the data collected is of high quality
Schools may make errors or omissions while completing the questionnaire, if not detected
District education office should contact the school principal to clarify and rectify identified errors
Ministry of Education should inform the relevant district education office to take action by contacting the school to obtain the correct or complete data
6: Data verification
Data verification is the process of cross-checking the completed census questionnaires for completeness and accuracy. Data verification is an important step in ensuring the data collected through the census is of high quality.
It is not uncommon for the schools to make errors or omissions while completing the questionnaire. Some of the errors can be detected directly by the school managers and corrected at the school level. Other errors and omissions can be identified by the district education officer, or when comparing the data with those from other schools in the district. In such instances, the district education officer should immediately contact the school principal to clarify and rectify these errors.
Once the questionnaires have been returned to the Ministry of Education, other errors and omissions can be identified while entering data into the databases and during initial data processing and data analysis. When a data error or omission is identified, the Ministry of Education should inform the relevant district education office to take action by contacting the school to obtain the correct or complete data.

24. Data problems Main types of problems that affect data quality are :
Missing data
Errors
Inconsistencies
Examples:
unanswered questions
blank cells in table
totals don’t add up
different answers to same question
During the data verification stage, three kinds of problems can arise. These are missing data, errors and inconsistencies. These are described briefly below:
Missing data – occurs when there are questions that remain unanswered, or cells in tables that are not complete but which have no explanation why data are missing.
Errors – There can be obvious and not-so-obvious errors in the data. For example, when the total is not equal to the sum of the parts.
Inconsistencies – Different values for the same question are reported in different parts of the questionnaire.

25. Processing and storage
A database is designed to capture, process and store data collected in school census questionnaire
A data entry screen automatically checks for missing or invalid responses
In some cases, missing or inaccurate data can be corrected immediately by data officer
Sometimes it will be necessary to check errors with the school to obtain the correct data
7: Processing and storage
The EMIS database is designed to capture, process and store data collected in the school census questionnaire. A data entry screen provides features to automatically check the quality of data, including missing or invalid responses. In cases where there are missing or inaccurate data which cannot be corrected immediately, it will be necessary to check the errors with the school to obtain the correct data.

26. Exercise Discuss: What is the purpose of collecting data in education?
What and when is the School Census?
What are the principles of data collection?
What are the sources of education data?
What are the processes of data collection?