Community colleges have long advocated for the creation of a federal student-level data network to generate accurate, meaningful data on postsecondary outcomes, including post-completion earnings.
AACC and ACCT support the bipartisan, bicameral College Transparency Act (S.2511/H.R. 4806). The Senate legislation has long been championed by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions (HELP), and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), with strong bipartisan support in the Senate. The House version is sponsored by Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Mike Kelly (R-PA).
A Student-Level Data Network
Current law prohibits the federal government from collecting student-level data and limits reporting to students participating in the federal financial aid programs. As a result, current data systems are duplicative, inefficient, and burdensome for colleges while also failing to generate complete, accurate, and timely information about student progress and success.
The College Transparency Act would lift the existing ban and would create a secure, privacy-protected federal student-level data network (SLDN) within the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the Department of Education’s (ED) statistical agency.
The new system would deliver a comprehensive picture of student outcomes across postsecondary education to inform students and families, institutions, employers, and policymakers. The bill has been endorsed by more than 150 organizations, representing colleges and universities, employers, workforce and community development groups, student advocacy groups, veterans, and civil rights advocates.
Talking Points:
While many stakeholders will benefit from the bill, community colleges have a particular interest in this legislation. The College Transparency Act will strengthen community colleges by:
- Counting all community college students. Existing federal data systems only includes students receiving Title IV aid, leaving out more than half of all community college students. The bill will fix this by counting all students, thereby presenting a more complete picture of enrollment and success at community colleges.
- Better capturing transfer as a measure of student success. Transfer is a key goal of many community college students, but the current system fails to adequately account for transfer. The bill will capture transfers on a more comprehensive basis and thus better reflect student and institutional success.
- Decreasing reporting burdens and improving data quality for new accountability measures. The College Transparency Act will allow the federal government to better leverage existing data sources at federal agencies and institutional data. By decreasing federal reporting requirements and eliminating the need for overlapping state, private, and institutional collection efforts, the bill will save community colleges time and money. CTA would greatly enhance the accuracy and fairness of the new Direct Loan accountability measures and Workforce Pell program.
- Facilitating better alignment between program offerings and workforce demands. Community colleges currently face enormous barriers to accessing information on how their graduates fare in the workforce. This has major implications for public policy as well as the colleges. The bill will provide complete, accurate, and timely information on post-college outcomes, including labor market outcomes and program- and institution-level earnings. Armed with this data, community colleges will be better equipped to refine program offerings, build relationships with employers, and strengthen local talent pipelines.
- Showcasing the value of community college programs. Community college programs deliver strong outcomes for students from all academic and personal backgrounds. By counting all students, the bill will highlight the value of community college programs to prospective students, employers, and policymakers by better capturing success for community college students, improving data on employment and earnings outcomes, and disaggregating information by key student characteristics – such as Pell Grant receipt, age, and military status.