People need access to information that helps them make education and workforce decisions.

States are in different stages of updating their statewide longitudinal data systems (SLDSs) to meet these data access needs. As state leaders do this important work, they must navigate a complicated landscape of legal frameworks, data sharing agreements, and data privacy and security requirements. These regulations do not prevent leaders from building robust SLDSs.

Our recent resource compiles common misconceptions that leaders may have as they work to connect data across multiple sectors, and unpacks how:

• Existing federal laws permit cross-sector data linkages; and
• Federal laws are not a barrier to integrating data within an SLDS.