2025 was a year of massive change to the foundational structure of the federal education and workforce data and research ecosystem—and those changes are still in process.
This year, the Data Quality Campaign (DQC) hopes to see Congress and the administration work collaboratively to return stability to the ecosystem. States, local governments, and the public need dependable access to timely, high-quality federal data, evidence, and research in order to implement policies and practices that support informed decisionmaking about pathways through education and workforce. The highest priority issues DQC will be watching in 2026 include:
The Future of IES and Continued Federal Data Collections
Last year, unprecedented disruption within the US Department of Education (ED) and the Institute of Education Sciences (IES)—through reductions in force, massive contract cancellations, and the use of interagency agreements to shift core functions between agencies—left critical data, research, and development work unattended. The secretary did employ an outside consultant to gather information and offer recommendations on what a reimagined IES might look like, but ED has yet to make that report or its recommendations public. What DQC is watching:
- Can a reimagined IES with fewer staff members and less funding continue the agency’s longstanding commitment to high-quality, transparent, timely, and usable research as well as the technical assistance necessary to implement it?
- Will ED shift IES’s core functions elsewhere, and what will that mean for the data collections that states, school districts, and researchers rely on?
- How will ED and IES address the need for improvements or changes to statutorily required assessments and data collections, such as the National Assessment of Education Progress, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, or Civil Rights Data Collection, going forward?
- What does a reimagined IES mean for the funding and staffing levels for programs it oversees, like the statewide longitudinal data system (SLDS) grant program?
Federal and State Alignment on Student Privacy
Congress has recently shown renewed interest in modernizing federal consumer data privacy laws, specifically the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act and the Kids Online Safety Act. Since these laws were originally enacted, states have also passed their own laws related to children and technology, primarily focused on student data privacy. What DQC is watching:
- How will new federal efforts align with or preempt state efforts?
- How will those decisions affect students, parents, and educators?
Federal Access to Personally Identifiable Information
In the last year, the federal government has sought access to individuals’ personal information in an unprecedented manner without explanation, justification, and transparency. This includes the Department of Health and Human Services’ efforts to access individual Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program data and the Department of Justice’s efforts to access individual voting records from states. These actions can threaten people’s trust in the federal government’s promise to collect and use data only for specified reasons. What DQC is watching:
- How will courts apply existing privacy statutes to federal efforts to expand access to and use of personal information?
- What impact will this have on the public’s trust in data, evidence, and research efforts that are intended to help students and families make informed choices about their education and career pathways?
Statutory Reauthorizations
Congress did not reauthorize any major education or workforce laws last year. The one significant piece of legislation that did pass, related to Workforce Pell, was part of a budget reconciliation bill. While ED and the Department of Labor have made strides in formulating the regulations to implement Workforce Pell, there does not seem to be any similar movement on other major education and workforce legislation. What DQC is watching:
- In this mid-term elections year, will Congress return to its previously negotiated Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act reauthorization bill and attempt to pass it?
- Will Congress begin work on the pending Perkins V reauthorization or long-overdue Higher Education Act reauthorization?
- With ED making changes to the Every Student Succeeds Act through its waiver approvals, is there incentive to revisit and revise the Elementary and Secondary Education Act?
DQC will continue to monitor, analyze, and elevate promising policies that use data and evidence to improve education and workforce outcomes in 2026. Ensuring that both federal and state data systems are accessible and effective requires intergovernmental collaboration and sustained investment in infrastructure, data governance, privacy and security policies, and innovation.
