WASHINGTON (May 15, 2017)—Following is the statement of the Data Quality Campaign, a nonprofit policy and advocacy organization leading the effort to bring every part of the education community together to empower educators, families, and policymakers with quality information to make decisions that ensure students excel, on the introduction of the College Transparency Act of 2017.
We applaud the introduction of the College Transparency Act of 2017. This bipartisan Congressional effort will enable better decisions by students, families, educators, and policymakers as our nation works to better prepare learners for success after high school. If enacted, this bill will empower students and their families with the critical information they need to make one of the most important and expensive decisions of their lives—selecting the postsecondary institution that is the best fit for their career goals.
Most Americans today are making this decision in the dark because information about which programs are most likely to help them achieve their goals is rarely available or comparable. Without this information, students and families cannot be confident that their postsecondary choices will provide the greatest return on their personal investment.
Not only are students and families making decisions without this information, but so are the principals, guidance counselors, and other educators who work daily to prepare students for postsecondary success. We hope that this bill will also provide these educators with access to timely, comparable, and useful information about how well their students are prepared for the next step after graduation. This would allow educators to align their curricula and instructional practices and outcomes with the expectations of postsecondary institutions.
Safeguarding the privacy and security of data is a critical component of using data well, and we applaud the bill’s sponsors for prioritizing a clear commitment to protecting student data. Students and families must be able to trust that information will only be used to open doors to success in careers and life, and never to harm them. We look forward to the important conversation to come about how we can best provide every American with the information they need and deserve.
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Contact: Dakarai I. Aarons, daarons@dataqualitycampaign.org, 202-393-7192
About the Data Quality Campaign:
The Data Quality Campaign is a nonprofit policy and advocacy organization leading the effort to bring every part of the education community together to empower educators, families, and policymakers with quality information to make decisions that ensure students excel. For more information, go to dataqualitycampaign.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@EdDataCampaign).
