Data Infrastructure and Secondary to Postsecondary Tracking

Abstract

In this article, we discuss the use of administrative data from schools, colleges and universities, and other public and private agencies and organizations for tracking students through their educational pathways. We focus on existing data collection systems that can be used to study successful postsecondary education transitions, including both statewide and local initiatives. We describe in detail the Youth Data Archive, which combines administrative data from multiple public and private agencies and organizations on a local level to ask and answer community questions about the youth they serve.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This project was generously funded by Atlantic Philanthropies, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, the Rosenberg Family Foundation, the Thrive Foundation, and UC ACCORD. We thank Kara Dukakis for comments on an earlier draft of this article and participants at the UC ACCORD PSE + preconference for guiding its content.

Notes

¹A large number of studies rely on these data to assess a variety of issues, including drop out, postsecondary enrollment, and others. For several recent examples, see Adelman (2006), Bozick and DeLuca (2005), and Kuehn, Pergamit, Macomber, and Vericker (2009).

²For a detailed report on California's educational data tracking systems, see Vernez, Krop, Vuollo, and Hansen (2008).