This report evaluates the Migrant Student Record Transfer System (MSRTS), a national computer system of records on migrant children, that was voluntarily created in 1969 by state directors of the Migrant Education Program (MEP). As the Federal Government instituted policy changes, MSRTS became the primary source of data for federal and state management reports. Supported by 49 states, MSRTS has information on over 600,000 migrant students, serving as the only national database for migrant education. Over the course of 20 years, however, MSRTS has continued to increase in size, but not in refinement. The cumulative effect of this growth has been a loss of quality in the information collected and a lack of full data-entry participation in MSRTS across states. In short, while becoming a paperwork burden for schools, the practical value of the system to migrant children has been sharply reduced. The National Commission on Migrant Education made the following recommendations to increase the value of MSRTS: (1) significantly reduce the migrant student's MSRTS record to essential data on school enrollment and health; (2) increase direct access of local educators to MSRTS; (3) provide a role for migrant students and their families in MSRTS; (4) conduct a technical assessment of MSRTS with an independent research agency; (5) design data-quality procedures in MSRTS to ensure completeness, accuracy, and security of student information; and (6) require certification from the Secretary of Education that state agencies are complying with the requirements for MSRTS before approving their applications for migrant programs. (LP)