Decision makers and strategy leaders in states often lack the information they need to make decisions that will support learners' success. Many lack information on what data their states already collect and publicize, and many are unsure of what data might tell a more meaningful story about student success. Responding to this need, researchers and…

Statewide longitudinal data systems (SLDSs) often rely on personal identifiers to securely link individual-level data across early childhood, K-12, higher education, and the workforce. However, different sectors use different types of personal identifiers which can make accurately connecting records difficult. Driver's license data offers a single…

The Education-to-Workforce (E-W) Indicator Framework offers guidance for using data to promote education outcomes and economic security for all. Developed with input from leading experts from over 20 national and community organizations, it highlights key connections needed among systems to support students as they progress from early education…

Policymakers across the country are seeking to better understand credentials of value--the education and training programs that help workers fill in-demand and growing jobs in their states. But right now, leaders are lacking the complete set of information they need to understand P-20W (early childhood, K-12, postsecondary, and workforce) pathways…

In 2024, state legislators introduced hundreds of bills that would affect data collection, access, and use across early education, K-12, postsecondary, and the workforce. As in 2023, legislators continued to introduce and enact legislation governing cross-agency data systems. These policies are the most important step toward making statewide…

This paper identifies a nascent trend in several countries regarding increased collection, public availability and use of destination data for graduates of secondary education, with policy ambitions to support pupil-level decision-making and drive provider-level accountability. This trend mirrors the previous development of such data for higher…

Our nation needs a baseline understanding of the current landscape of high school skilled trades education--and a road map of what could or should happen next--to build on the promise that trades education offers to meet both individual and societal needs. To understand the state of skilled trades education in America's high schools, Jobs for the…

California has long been a national and global leader in developing and maintaining quality higher education options, as well as in providing financial aid and consumer protections for Californians who access that education. However, although California's colleges and the state government do collect, receive, and report a great deal of data, these…