Resources / Reports / A Blueprint For Better Information: Recommendations For a Federal Postsecondary Student-Level Data Network

A Blueprint For Better Information: Recommendations For a Federal Postsecondary Student-Level Data Network

Published Oct 2017
ihep
focus area Data & Transparency

Accurate and complete data can empower college choices, promote student success, and inform federal, state and institutional policies. Yet existing postsecondary student data systems are disconnected, duplicative and incomplete.

A Blueprint for Better Information: Recommendations for a Federal Postsecondary Student-Level Data Network underscores the need for a coordinated and comprehensive network that leverages data from existing federal systems to paint a more complete picture of student outcomes.

A Blueprint for Better Information outlines the details necessary to create a secure and effective student-level data network.

  • Privacy and security principles
  • Data governance strategies
  • Operations and capacity requirements

Without a coordinated network, students, college leaders and policymakers lack critical information about student outcomes to make informed decisions about higher education.

IHEP leads the Postsecondary Data Collaborative, an initiative to advocate for the use of high-quality postsecondary data to promote student success and educational equity, evaluate and inform federal, state and institutional policies, and empower college choices.