NAICU Washington Update

Drive for Collection of Individual Student Data Continues

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the Department of Education is inviting state educational agencies to apply for grant support "to enable them to design, develop, and implement statewide, longitudinal data systems to manage, analyze, disaggregate, and use individual student data."

The specific purposes for which funds are to be used, according to the request for applications issued June 26, include:

  1. Development and implementation of statewide longitudinal data systems
  2. Expansion of existing K-12 systems to include preschool, teacher, finance, and another other K-12 data not yet included in a state's system
  3. Connection with postsecondary data systems or creation of consolidated P-16 systems
  4. Importation of workforce data from other sources.

The full posting is available at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-14534.htm.

The Federal Register notice indicates that the department plans to make $94 million available for these grants in FY2009 - provided that its full budget request is approved by Congress. The Senate Appropriations Committee has included the full amount requested in its FY2009 funding bill. The House Appropriations Committee has included $65 million in its version of the legislation, though the status of that measure is uncertain (See appropriations story, above).

This grant competition is the latest in a series of IES longitudinal data system development grants. The initial sent of grants were made to 13 states in 2005, and another 13 states received grant awards in 2007 (See WIR, 7/25/07).

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