The federally appointed Commission on Evidence-based Policymaking has released their final publication, which recommends repealing bans on the collection and use of data, including student data, and supports sharing state earnings data as evidence of program effectiveness.
According to the Commission, almost two-thirds of the public comments it received were about the current ban on student-level data in federal law and a similar ban for individuals receiving training under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Many of these comments expressed concern with collecting and maintaining data on students.
However, the Commission recommended that Congress “consider repealing current bans and limiting future bans on the collection and use of data for evidence building” because of the importance of this data for evaluating program effectiveness. The Commission also recommended improvements to policies and practices to protect data, including:
- using pre-existing legal frameworks to restrict data use for statistical purposes;
- establishing a National Secure Data Service to facilitate access to data for evidence building while ensuring privacy and transparency; and
- developing a uniform process to vet external researchers requesting access to confidential information.
The Commission also recommended ensuring that state-collected quarterly earnings data, and other state data, be made available for statistical purposes.
ACTE supports access to data for evidence-building and program improvement, with privacy and security protections in place.
Comments