About Us
Correctional education programs are intended to break the cycle of catch-and-release by giving inmates the skills they need to succeed in the workplace and the community. Although there is some evidence supporting the need for such instruction, federal and state investments in correctional programs have fallen over the past decade, even as jail and prison populations have continued to rise. Increasing inmate access to correctional education programs will require providing state policymakers and the general public with a better understanding of the contribution that correctional education makes to inmates’ lives and to society.
To assess the feasibility of generating more and better data about correctional education, MPR Associates, Inc. began by examining the state of knowledge about the scope, content, and outcomes of correctional education. Findings are summarized in two reports: “Correctional Education: Assessing the Status of Prison Programs and Information Needs” and “Common Measures of Performance: Using State Data to Assess the Status of Correctional Education Programs in the United States.” Supported by the Office of Correctional Education (OCE) of the U.S. Department of Education, these reports are available under Reports.
These reports concluded that states could develop the capacity to share information about exemplary practices, track trends in educational programming and inmate participation, and identify gaps in services and areas in need of improvement -- if provided with common data collection strategies. Coordinating state data also offers the possibility of being able to eventually generate a reasonably accurate and detailed picture of correctional education nationwide.
To jump-start this process, OCE sponsored the development of the Correctional Education Data Guidebook, which contains suggested strategies for collecting and organizing state correctional education data. The goal is to encourage states to align their reporting systems voluntarily around an agreed-upon set of definitions and reporting frameworks. MPR Associates, Inc. developed and maintains this website, also sponsored by OCE, to provide an online, searchable version of the Guidebook.
The Guidebook and website are designed to serve as reference tools, not as data collection instruments, for state correctional education administrators involved in the collection of correctional education data. They also can be useful to researchers and policymakers interested in the collection, management, reporting, and analysis of correctional education information. They do not, however, reflect any type of federal data maintenance requirement. Rather, they should be considered flexible tools that can be modified and improved as feedback is received from states and states’ capacity to collect and report correctional education data is strengthened.
To provide feedback or ask questions, please e-mail or contact us using the information below. Your input will help us improve the Guidebook and this website.
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Room 3E334
Washington, DC 20202
Telephone: (202) 205-7942
Fax: (202) 260-7767
E-mail: John.Linton@ed.gov
MPR Associates, Inc.
2401 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Suite 410
Washington, DC 20037
Telephone: (202) 478-1027
Fax: (202) 466-6996
E-mail: questions@cedatanetwork.org
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