Statewide longitudinal data systems (SLDSs) can enable researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to identify and understand important relationships and trends across the education-to-workforce continuum. A well-developed SLDS can increase state and territory governments' ability to establish more informed and equitable policies, enable agency…

This publication describes the methods and procedures used for the 2008/18 Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study (B&B:08/18). The B&B graduates, who completed the requirements for a bachelor's degree during the 2007-08 academic year, were first surveyed as part of the 2008 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:08), and then…

This data file documentation accompanies new data files for the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09) Postsecondary Education Transcript Study and Student Financial Aid Records Collection (PETS-SR). HSLS:09 follows a nationally representative sample of students who were ninth-graders in fall 2009 from high school into postsecondary…

Temporal analyses are critical to understanding learning processes, yet understudied in education research. Data from different sources are often collected at different grain sizes, which are difficult to integrate. Making sense of data at many levels of analysis, including the most detailed levels, is highly time-consuming. In this paper, we…

Temporal analyses are critical to understanding learning processes, yet understudied in education research. Data from different sources are often collected at different grain sizes, which are difficult to integrate. Making sense of data at many levels of analysis, including the most detailed levels, is highly time-consuming. In this paper, we…

This report describes the methodologies and results of the third follow-up Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002/12) field test which was conducted in the summer of 2011. The field test report is divided into six chapters: (1) Introduction; (2) Field Test Survey Design and Preparation; (3) Data Collection Procedures and Results; (4) Field…

This publication provides an overview of the current federal opportunities to help states advance their data-related activities. Although not exhaustive, this list provides a starting point for federal policymakers to support states' work in this area.

The growth in the availability of longitudinal data--data collected over time on the same individuals--as part of program evaluations has opened up exciting possibilities for evaluators to ask more nuanced questions about how individuals' outcomes change over time. However, in order to leverage longitudinal data to glean these important insights,…

In the modern world, higher education is transitioning from enrollment mode to recruitment mode. This shift paved the way for institutional research and policy making from historical data perspective. More and more universities in the U.S. are implementing and using enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, which collect vast amounts of data.…

A study was conducted to propose a research-based model for a longitudinal data research system that addressed recommendations from a synthesis of literature related to: (1) needs reported by the U.S. Department of Education, (2) the twelve mandatory elements that define federally approved state longitudinal data systems (SLDS), (3) the…

The High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09) is the fifth in a series of National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) secondary longitudinal studies. The core research questions for HSLS:09 explore secondary to postsecondary transition plans and the evolution of those plans; the paths into and out of science, technology, engineering,…

This report presents the results of an audit by the Office of the Inspector General to determine whether the Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) provided sufficient oversight of graduation and dropout rates submitted by states in their Consolidated State Performance Reports to ensure the rates were…

This manual has been produced to familiarize data users with the procedures followed for data collection and processing for the base year through second follow-up of the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002). It also provides the necessary documentation for use of the data files, as they appear on the ELS:2002 base-year to second…

Research performed pursuant to a grant from the Charles F. Kettering Foundation.