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Implementing a federal student-level data network (part III)
Insights from financial aid experts
Isaac, J., Pretlow, J., Cheng, D., & Roberson, A. J. (2022). Implementing a federal student-level data network (part III): Insights from financial aid experts. RTI International.
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, the 116th Congress introduced the College Affordability Act ([CAA], U.S. House of Representatives) and the College Transparency Act ([CTA], U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives) in the 115th through 117th Congresses. These bills mandate 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 either bill into law, 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 International1 partnered with the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP)—leader of the Postsecondary Data Collaborative—to engage a diverse array of community members in discussing issues that will be critical to developing and maintaining the network. RTI and IHEP hosted the first forum in June 2020; during that event, participants 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.”2 Hosted in September 2020, the second forum 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.3
During both forums, panelists raised a number of issues related to potential financial aid variables in an SLDN; these concerns led RTI and IHEP to engage financial aid professionals in May 2021 for the third forum. This brief captures the key points of that discussion for consideration by NCES. 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.