Win the Race

As Michigan embarks on this journey to postsecondary educational attainment and greater economic growth, its taxpayers and residents need to know what is working and what is not, how far the state has come, and how far the state has to go in its quest to become the nation’s best-educated population. As Michigan residents move through an education process that begins long before kindergarten and continues through graduate degrees and employment, the state must be able to chart individuals’ progress while respecting their right to privacy.

Currently, Michigan has disconnected data systems tracking K–12 students, higher education students, and adult job training and re-employment programs. The state cannot answer simple yet critical questions such as: What specific degrees and credentials do Michigan residents have? Where do high school students go and what do they do after graduation? What do graduates of the state’s various colleges and universities do next? Where are they working? Answers to these and more detailed questions about the outcomes for particular schools and programs are essential to guide smart policy and investments in an education system that strives for lifelong learning.

RECOMMENDATION

Develop a Lifelong Education Tracking System

The Michigan Department of Information Technology must develop by 2007 an interagency data-sharing arrangement, in coordination with Michigan’s K–12 and higher education institutions, that creates a functioning lifelong education tracking system with information from multiple data sources, including CEPI, MDLEG, and higher education.

(Completion Work Group rec. 5)

Web Link

• Center for Educational Performance & Information