Individuals, the public, and policymakers alike need access to data to answer questions and make decisions about pathways through education and into the workforce. 

Federal leaders currently govern access to some data that can help answer these questions, such as federal student aid (FSA) data and military enlistment data. State leaders—through their statewide longitudinal data systems (SLDSs)—are best positioned to provide, contextualize, embed into tools, and interpret this information for many different audiences. Federal leaders have an opportunity to make changes which ensure that states can provide secure, role-based access to this data to individuals, the public, and policymakers.

We’ve developed two new resources which explore examples of how federal leaders can take action to ensure states have access to important data:

• Federal Leaders Can Clear the Way for State Access to Federal Student Aid Data examines how unclear guidance on navigating current laws has deterred states from including FSA data in their SLDSs, and how federal leaders must provide clear guidance to remove barriers to connecting FSA data to SLDSs.

• Federal Leaders Can Enable State Access to Military Enlistment Data examines how state partnerships with the Department of Defense could provide states with key insights about whether students are enlisting and succeeding in the military—and in turn provide districts, schools, and students with insights on the military as a viable postsecondary pathway.

For more on how federal leaders can both ease and expedite state efforts to improve their SLDSs, read our federal recommendations to support data access.