Where to Find More Detail
The Education Data Model is a resource that can be used in many ways and by many different types of education and technology professionals. Below describes the many different resources available for understanding, and using, the data model.
Guide to the Education Data Model: Version 1 (PK-12): This Guide introduces the reader to the how the Education Data Model was developed, basic concepts associated with the Education Data Model, and the benefits of the conceptual data modeling approach. The document also provides the reader with some practical ways of addressing common challenges in the management and use of data in education by using the Education Data Model.
This document is written for educators, vendors, researchers, and other potential users of the Education Data Model. It is also meant for anyone who may be involved in a project that uses the Education Data Model but is not necessarily a data model expert. The Guide to the Education Data Model: Version 1 (Pk-12) introduces concepts and approaches to structured data that may not be familiar to the average reader. Neither this document nor the Education Data Model itself takes the place of a skilled data modeler, system architect, or designer.
Download, view and print the Guide as a pdf file. 
(1,351 KB)
Data Model Browser: The Data Model Browser allows easy access to the Data Model without having to install software on a computer. The Browser allows the user to view and browse the Data Model taxonomy. Each class in the taxonomy has a screen, in which subclasses of the class or entities contained in the class are listed. Each entity in the taxonomy has a screen in which attributes and relationships to other entities are listed. The Data Model Browser also has a simple text search and an advanced search capability.
Go to the Data Model Browser.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Frequently asked questions provide a list of commonly asked, and answered, question about all aspects of the data model. This is a good place to look after you have used the Data Model Browser.
Go to the Frequently Asked Questions page.
Examples of How to Use the Data Model:
These examples include three vignettes that illustrate how the Data Model can be used by educators, vendors, and researchers. In addition to the vignettes, this page also contains “use case scenarios” that explain in more detail the steps that one could take in applying the Data Model in a specific usage scenario.
Go to the Examples of How to Use the Data Model page.
Conceptual Modeling Software: For more advanced users, the information contained in the Data Model can be displayed in numerous ways depending upon particular needs or interests. There are two “open source” software tools that allow the user to accomplish tasks such as using the model to generate.
Go to the Conceptual Modeling Software page.
Where to Begin
First Time Users - If this is your first time on the Education Data Model Website you might want to start by reading the Education Data Model User Guide. After reviewing the guide the best place to start is the How to Browse the Data Model section of this website which explains how to navigate the Data Model content.
Then go to the Data Model Browser section of this website to view the Data Model itself.
School Districts - If you are interested in finding out how the Education Data Model could be used in your LEA and are just finding out about conceptual data models, read straight through the chapters in this User Guide referenced above. Also, read Appendix A: Core Data Model Concepts. The example uses of the Data Model in Chapter 3 will be of interest to you. Be sure to go to the Education Data Model website and study the use case scenarios that are mentioned in Chapter 3.
Policy Makers - If you are an LEA or SEA policy maker, focus on Chapters 1, 2, and 4 of the User Guide.
Data Modelers - If you are coming from a background in other data model domains such as banking, healthcare, etc. and want to familiarize yourself with the education data model domain, read Chapter 3: How to use the Data Model. Review Appendix C: Common Attributes. Then go directly to the Education Data Model using the link provided in Chapter 3. If you are interested in localizing or extending the Data Model for use in your own organization be sure to read Appendix D – Q&A for technical details concerning the structure of the Data Model and Appendix B – Data Model Content Structure for information about how the Education Data Model content was produced.