States Struggle to Put Together Programs for Sharing K-20 Data

But More are Taking Steps to Forge Better Connections

Spurred by the prospect of grant funding from the federal Race to the Top competition, as well as money made available from other parts of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, more states are taking steps to link K-12 data systems with postsecondary agencies to develop a more holistic picture of each student.

But despite the emphasis among policy leaders on crafting data systems that span the K-20 spectrum, the progress that states have made toward that goal varies greatly, and many challenges—both technical and political—remain.

The idea of linking precollegiate data with postsecondary databases has been around for years. The difference now is that “it is no longer something that seems to be a good idea to people just in education,” said Ben Passmore, the director of policy research for the Adelphi, Md.-based University System of Maryland, which represents 11 universities, two research institutions, and two regional higher education...