This resource presents information based on a study conducted by SHEEO that cataloged 59 state-level student unit record (SUR) data systems containing postsecondary data in 44 states and the District of Columbia.

The study describes state postsecondary data systems, a task made complex by the organizational reality that there is often no single, uniform entity or organization within a state to respond to survey questions associated with state postsecondary data systems. Rather, each state has a unique organization that implements and oversees the collection of its postsecondary data. State postsecondary data systems, then, reflect state oversight differences and are an amorphous group. There is often more than one postsecondary data system per state. They may be within a coordinating or governing board of higher education or another state agency or entity. They may contain data from only one institution of higher education, several institutions, institutions within a defined system, or all institutions in the state. Further, they may contain student data in the aggregate or at the unit record level. Ultimately, state constitutions and laws dictate coordinating and governing board missions, duties, and responsibilities, affecting the shape of each state’s postsecondary data system. Understanding these differences is critical to the discussions currently taking place in the design, function, and goals of state P-20 data systems.

This study updates and expands the Critical Connections study conducted by the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems and funded by the Lumina Foundation for Education.

Questions or comments should be directed to Tanya I. Garcia, tgarcia@sheeo.org.

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STRONG FOUNDATIONS: THE STATE OF STATE POST-SECONDARY DATA SYSTEMS (PDF)

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Full report without appendices (PDF)
Appendices A through K (PDF)
          Appendix A: Methodology
          Appendix B: Final Data Collection Instrument
          Appendix C: Respondent Directory
          Appendix D: Final Data Element List
          Appendix E: SEI-AEM Methodology
          Appendix F: Student Unit Record Systems Included in this Study by State (2009)
          Appendix G: Abbreviations Used Within Report for States with Multiple Agencies/Entities
          Appendix H: Required Documentation for Outside Researchers Requesting Unit Records
          Appendix I: Florida Department of Education Unit Record Data Request Packet
          Appendix J: Existence of and Number of Data Elements by State SUR System
          Appendix K: Full Listing of Types of Reports Generated Using SUR Data