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Record system sparks debate
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by Ryan Masse
Thursday, December 2, 2004
In an effort to raise accountability standards among the country’s institutions of higher education, the U.S. Department of Education is considering a proposal to dramatically change the way it collects data on college students.
The change would allow the Department of Education’s statistical branch, the National Center on Education Statistics, to collect “unit-record” data tracking the status of individual students as they progress through college. The NCES currently collects only summary information, such as enrollment and tuition rates, through its Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System.
Department of Education Spokesperson Stephanie Babyak said the proposal would equip policymakers with far more accurate information concerning the success rates of students at colleges and universities. Armed with unit-record data, officials would be able to better assess efforts aimed at improving access to higher education and increasing graduation rates.
The department has held several meetings with states and school officials to determine the feasibility of such a plan, Babyak said.
Various education groups, such as State Higher Education Executive Officers and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, have lined up in support of the measure.
SHEEO Senior Associate Charles Lenth said the current IPEDS collection lacks accessibility to federal officials.
“The way institutions report now is not the best way to handle data,” Lenth said. “It’s held separately, often times in different record systems, and not in usable form.”
Lenth said a unit-record system would also reflect accountability measures — such as accurate graduation rates, data on research outcomes and performance, and university contributions to the local economy — aggregate IPEDS data cannot deliver.
The proposal to collect individual student records is not new — 39 states, including Wisconsin, currently operate some form of unit-record collection, although most only collect data from public universities.
But with billions of dollars of student aid continuing to flow from the federal government, many say Washington needs to ramp up efforts to hold institutions of higher education accountable — much like No Child Left Behind established new standards for elementary and secondary schools.
Lenth said Wisconsin’s model would be a good example for the NCES.
“Wisconsin is a good example in developing a system of public reporting relative to public needs and state goals,” he said.
Privacy
Certain groups are voicing concern, however, over the privacy implications such a system would introduce. Colleges have been compelled lately to remove social security numbers from personal records, but the proposal would use the numbers as personal identifiers, according to Tony Palls, spokesman for the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.
“That’s clearly a step backward for privacy rights,” Palls said. “We’re concerned this is the beginning down a slippery slope to big brother government.”
The Department of Education insists all data will be kept strictly within its confines and not leaked to law enforcement or other agencies. Lenth notes there are federal laws and offices dealing with privacy rights and says there is no evidence to suggest state-collected unit-record data has ever been exploited.
But others question whether the department will truly keep a wrap on private student information. Palls accused certain states of using their data to check students against prison and housing records.
Others say the federal government would be given too much control over students’ personal records. Whereas the government may now only obtain unit-record data with the permission of the student, the NCES would gather information on all students under the new plan.
Before embarking on the project, the Department of Education would need approval from Congress when the legislature reauthorizes the Higher Education Act next year.
U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin, said in an e-mail the proposal’s potential privacy violations bear a dangerous resemblance to the USA Patriot Act.
“I am very concerned about the proposal by the Bush Administration to create a national database that collects data on all college students,” Baldwin said. “While there may be educational and research benefits from such a database, I have serious doubts that these benefits outweigh the risks of abuse and the violation of individual privacy.”
Some smaller colleges have raised a second concern about the strain a change to a unit-record system would impose on their limited resources. The more extensive record keeping may necessitate the purchase of new computer systems for the smaller schools, Palls said.
“It’s a little ironic that at a time colleges are under immense pressure to control costs there is proposal out there to increase their costs,” he said.
UW
The University of Wisconsin is taking a cautious approach to the measure, stressing the gains from the new system must be counterbalanced with privacy concerns.
“Our number one priority is privacy,” Phil Hull, UW registrar spokesman, said.
As one of the 39 states with a unit-record system, Wisconsin already collects individual student data through the UW System in a database established in 1973. UW schools report unit-record data to the System, which in turn conveys aggregate data to IPEDS.
Reporting individual student data to the government would have its benefits, Hull said.
“It’s very hard to track students throughout their career — many transfer or leave for a period of time — and without unit-record data it’s very hard to track them over time,” Hull said, adding the university sometimes cannot claim credit for graduating a student due to the gaps in their records.
Under IPEDS, students who graduate at universities other than their original schools are treated as dropouts.
Hull said he’s heard the talk from some suggesting the new system may strain smaller colleges, but indicated a university the size of UW-Madison would not be troubled by the conversion.
Hull noted the proposal is still in the planning stages but said the university is paying attention to its progress.
“This is something we are watching very closely.”
