Funding What Matters: What Building and Sustaining a Statewide Longitudinal Data System Costs
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| Title: | Funding What Matters: What Building and Sustaining a Statewide Longitudinal Data System Costs |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Data Quality Campaign (DQC) |
| Source: | Data Quality Campaign. 2025. |
| Availability: | Data Quality Campaign. 1250 H Street NW Suite 825, Washington, DC 20005. Tel: 202-393-4372; Fax: 202-393-3930; e-mail: info@dataqualitycampaign.org; Web site: http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 6 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Reports - Descriptive |
| Descriptors: | Data Use, Data Collection, State Programs, Labor Force, Financial Support, Information Systems, Longitudinal Studies, Educational Policy, Governance, Access to Information, Models |
| Geographic Terms: | California, Kentucky, Maryland, Washington |
| Abstract: | Over the past two decades, states have made meaningful progress toward building statewide longitudinal data systems (SLDSs) that can enable access to the data that students, job seekers, families, educators, employers, and policymakers need to make informed decisions about education and workforce pathways. As more state leaders work to modernize and expand these systems, they often ask an important question: What does building and sustaining a high-quality SLDS that supports data access, use, and impact cost? To find an answer, the Data Quality Campaign (DQC) dug into four examples of robust SLDSs in California, Kentucky, Maryland, and Washington state. Each of these states has aligned its SLDS funding with the objectives leaders want the SLDS to fulfill for students, families, and the state's future. It was found that the cost of maintaining these comprehensive and mature SLDSs averages around $3 million annually, but the complete cost depends on the state's vision, priorities, and existing infrastructure. Based on analysis of these systems, three key lessons to guide any state leader seeking to make meaningful investments in their state's future were identified: (1) Objectives for the system should drive costs; (2) States can and should leverage a mix of federal, state, and philanthropic dollars to fund SLDSs; and (3) Personnel are the largest investment for an SLDS, not technology. |
| Abstractor: | ERIC |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | ED678658 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Over the past two decades, states have made meaningful progress toward building statewide longitudinal data systems (SLDSs) that can enable access to the data that students, job seekers, families, educators, employers, and policymakers need to make informed decisions about education and workforce pathways. As more state leaders work to modernize and expand these systems, they often ask an important question: What does building and sustaining a high-quality SLDS that supports data access, use, and impact cost? To find an answer, the Data Quality Campaign (DQC) dug into four examples of robust SLDSs in California, Kentucky, Maryland, and Washington state. Each of these states has aligned its SLDS funding with the objectives leaders want the SLDS to fulfill for students, families, and the state's future. It was found that the cost of maintaining these comprehensive and mature SLDSs averages around $3 million annually, but the complete cost depends on the state's vision, priorities, and existing infrastructure. Based on analysis of these systems, three key lessons to guide any state leader seeking to make meaningful investments in their state's future were identified: (1) Objectives for the system should drive costs; (2) States can and should leverage a mix of federal, state, and philanthropic dollars to fund SLDSs; and (3) Personnel are the largest investment for an SLDS, not technology. |
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