Implementing a student-level data network (Part IV)

Abstract

Although the current federal postsecondary data landscape comprises high-quality data on a range of indicators, it has gaps that leave many important questions from policymakers, institutions, and students unanswered. To address these gaps, proposed legislation entitled the College Transparency Act (CTA) mandates the creation of a federal student-level data network (SLDN) that would leverage data available at institutions of higher education and federal agencies with the intent of streamlining those institutions’ data-reporting burden. If Congress passes and the President signs legislation implementing the CTA, the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED’s) National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a center within the Institute of Education Sciences, will be responsible for building and maintaining the network.

To inform the development of an SLDN, RTI International partnered with the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP)—leader of the Postsecondary Data Collaborative—to host four forums designed to engage a diverse array of community members in discussing issues that will be critical to developing and maintaining the network. The first, in June 2020, discussed the specific measures and underlying data elements required by the legislation. The results of that forum—including a detailed table of proposed data elements to be collected in the SLDN—are summarized in “Implementing a Federal Student-Level Data Network: Advice from Experts.” The second, hosted in September 2020, focused on institutions’ concerns regarding data submission to an SLDN. “Implementing a Federal Student-Level Data Network (Part II): Insights from Institutional Representatives” summarizes that forum’s discussions. The third, hosted in May 2021, engaged financial aid professionals in order to discuss issues related to potential financial aid variables in an SLDN, and is summarized in the report “Implementing a Student-Level Data Network (Part III): Insights from Financial Aid Experts.”

The fourth and most recent forum was held in May 2022 and is the focus of this report, centering around three potential models for a federal SLDN, each separately devised by pairs of experts knowledgeable in student-level postsecondary data collection efforts. Participants attending the forum provided feedback and identified areas for further exploration related to each design, as captured in this report. We do not draw conclusions or recommend solutions in this brief; our intention is to raise awareness about important issues that NCES and the SLDN designers will face if Congress mandates an SLDN.