Report: Building a Comprehensive Federal Student Data System
By Allie Bidwell, Communications Staff
There's general bipartisan agreement that in order for students, colleges, and policymakers to make more informed decisions, the nation's higher education data infrastructure needs a reboot. But deciding on how the system would be developed, what information would be included, and who would administer the system is more complicated.
In a new issue brief, the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) outlines how policymakers can leverage existing data systems, protect student privacy, and reduce institutional data reporting burdens in creating a federal "student-level data network" (SLDN). The brief builds on IHEP's previous work on data infrastructure – a paper series that dove into separate issues around data systems, such as leveraging employment data and improving state data systems.
"Our colleges and universities are entrusted with providing academic opportunities that prepare students for success in the classroom and beyond," said IHEP President Michelle Asha Cooper, in a statement. "But inequities in college access and success still persist in our higher education system. Our existing data systems fall short in giving policymakers and institutions the tools they need to achieve strong outcomes and effectively address equity gaps."
In order to build a federal student data system that addresses many issues that come up in policy debates, IHEP recommended limiting the data to a core set of consistent metrics at the institutional level and at the program level. The system, according to IHEP, should be hosted in a statistical agency, such as the National Center on Education Statistics (NCES), and should adhere to strict privacy and security standards.
"NCES is well-equipped to house this type of system because of its status as an independent, statistical agency and long history managing sensitive data," the brief said. "State and federal policymakers, institutions, and students could then leverage these data when making decisions about investment and improvements in higher education."
Additionally, institutions would report their own student-level data to the Department of Education (ED), which would then use that data to calculate aggregate metrics. The system would then supplement institutions' submitted data with other data already collected by federal agencies, such as the Department of the Treasury, the Social Security Administration, or the Department of Veterans Affairs.
"A well-designed, well-governed and well-protected postsecondary data system is the cornerstone to more informed decision-making within our higher education system," said Matthew Soldner, Advisory Committee chair and principal researcher at American Institutes for Research, in a statement. "IHEP has provided a thoughtful framework for designing a system that would be a gamechanger in postsecondary education."
Moving forward, because the federal government is currently prohibited from collecting student-level data, Congress would have to first act to allow the system to be built. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have in the past introduced legislation that would move in that direction, such as the bipartisan College Transparency Act of 2017, and the Student Right to Know Before You Go Act.
"The creation of an SLDN will require significant federal action and inter-agency collaboration," the brief said. "Nonetheless, a failure to do so will hamper broad, bipartisan efforts to enhance student choice, transparency, and improved student outcomes. Students can wait no longer for the information and transparency that a more efficient and effective data system can provide."
Publication Date: 10/19/2017
Theodore M | 10/19/2017 11:23:01 AM
The biggest problem with the current system is that we only know about aid recipients. At many schools, there are as many or more non-recipients (community colleges for instance). Having full data will really give a picture of what happens to students including ones that transfer.
Jeff A | 10/19/2017 9:37:09 AM
Agree! It is a system like this that would truly help prospective students make decisions, especially at the academic program level.
It absolutely should have been the precursor to a 'gainful employment' formula determining which programs should be eligible for federal aid, but only looking at data across 10% of higher ed.
This can be done with little additional burden. Coupling program level data from COD with NSLDS and other data sources, much like the scorecard database, can get us there quickly with minimal additional effort from colleges. The consumer will determine which programs will lead them to gainful employment as they choose to define it, empowered with good information.
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