State data systems that deliver year after year don’t happen by accident. They’re anchored in statute. Codifying cross-agency data governance for statewide longitudinal data systems (SLDSs) in state law is a critical step toward ensuring long-term access to P–20W (early childhood through workforce) data. In doing so, states promote transparency and accountability in decisions about SLDSs and how data is used. Legislation is the most effective way to ensure that contributing agencies engage in shared decisionmaking and that these efforts endure through shifts in state priorities and leadership. Without legislation, even the most robust data systems risk becoming temporary.
Prior to 2026, 10 states had codified cross-agency data governance. This year, New Jersey has already joined the ranks, and Georgia is one step away from codification.
- Georgia’s HB1320 has passed the state house and senate and, when signed by the governor, would establish the Education Data Governance Board and charge it with overseeing the SLDS and coordinating cross-agency education and workforce systems. This board would set policies on data collection, use, privacy, security, and quality. Its membership would include leadership-level representatives from the SLDS’s data contributing agencies, ensuring diverse perspectives are represented and that governance remains durable over time. For additional best practices for cross-agency data governance, see DQC’s Roadmap for Cross-Agency Data Governance.
- New Jersey’s A5802 codifies the state’s existing SLDS and establishes a governing board responsible for identifying key research and policy questions, as well as defining and maintaining standards for privacy, confidentiality, and security. Additionally, the legislation allows for the integration of driver’s license data into the SLDS, enabling more accurate data matching and a clearer picture of residents’ education and workforce pathways and outcomes. For more on the benefits of integrating driver’s license data, see DQC’s latest resource on the topic.
In both states, leadership transitions underscore the importance of codification. In New Jersey, the bill was signed in January, just days before a new governor took office, ensuring the SLDS remained operational and ready for use by the incoming administration. Georgia will similarly experience a gubernatorial transition in the coming year. When the new administration takes office next January, it too can inherit an SLDS that can immediately be leveraged to understand educational outcomes and support students progressing through education and into the workforce.
Codifying cross-agency data governance sets up these SLDSs for long-term sustainability, allowing them to endure through present and future leadership changes and continue providing the information that students, policymakers, researchers, and others need to access and strengthen education-to-workforce pathways.
