(1) An education data center shall be established in the office of financial management. The education data center shall jointly, with the legislative evaluation and accountability program committee, conduct collaborative analyses of early learning, K-12, and higher education programs and education issues across the P-20 system, which includes the department of early learning, the superintendent of public instruction, the professional educator standards board, the state board of education, the state board for community and technical colleges, the workforce training and education coordinating board, the *higher education coordinating board, public and private nonprofit four-year institutions of higher education, and the employment security department. The education data center shall conduct collaborative analyses under this section with the legislative evaluation and accountability program committee and provide data electronically to the legislative evaluation and accountability program committee, to the extent permitted by state and federal confidentiality requirements. The education data center shall be considered an authorized representative of the state educational agencies in this section under applicable federal and state statutes for purposes of accessing and compiling student record data for research purposes.

     (2) The education data center shall:

     (a) In consultation with the legislative evaluation and accountability program committee and the agencies and organizations participating in the education data center, identify the critical research and policy questions that are intended to be addressed by the education data center and the data needed to address the questions;

     (b) Coordinate with other state education agencies to compile and analyze education data, including data on student demographics that is disaggregated by distinct ethnic categories within racial subgroups, and complete P-20 research projects;

     (c) Collaborate with the legislative evaluation and accountability program committee and the education and fiscal committees of the legislature in identifying the data to be compiled and analyzed to ensure that legislative interests are served;

     (d) Annually provide to the K-12 data governance group a list of data elements and data quality improvements that are necessary to answer the research and policy questions identified by the education data center and have been identified by the legislative committees in (c) of this subsection. Within three months of receiving the list, the K-12 data governance group shall develop and transmit to the education data center a feasibility analysis of obtaining or improving the data, including the steps required, estimated time frame, and the financial and other resources that would be required. Based on the analysis, the education data center shall submit, if necessary, a recommendation to the legislature regarding any statutory changes or resources that would be needed to collect or improve the data;

     (e) Monitor and evaluate the education data collection systems of the organizations and agencies represented in the education data center ensuring that data systems are flexible, able to adapt to evolving needs for information, and to the extent feasible and necessary, include data that are needed to conduct the analyses and provide answers to the research and policy questions identified in (a) of this subsection;

     (f) Track enrollment and outcomes through the public centralized higher education enrollment system;

     (g) Assist other state educational agencies' collaborative efforts to develop a long-range enrollment plan for higher education including estimates to meet demographic and workforce needs;

     (h) Provide research that focuses on student transitions within and among the early learning, K-12, and higher education sectors in the P-20 system; and

     (i) Make recommendations to the legislature as necessary to help ensure the goals and objectives of this section and RCW 28A.655.210 and 28A.300.507 are met.

     (3) The department of early learning, superintendent of public instruction, professional educator standards board, state board of education, state board for community and technical colleges, workforce training and education coordinating board, *higher education coordinating board, public four-year institutions of higher education, and employment security department shall work with the education data center to develop data-sharing and research agreements, consistent with applicable security and confidentiality requirements, to facilitate the work of the center. Private, nonprofit institutions of higher education that provide programs of education beyond the high school level leading at least to the baccalaureate degree and are accredited by the Northwest association of schools and colleges or their peer accreditation bodies may also develop data-sharing and research agreements with the education data center, consistent with applicable security and confidentiality requirements. The education data center shall make data from collaborative analyses available to the education agencies and institutions that contribute data to the education data center to the extent allowed by federal and state security and confidentiality requirements applicable to the data of each contributing agency or institution.

[2009 c 548 § 201; 2007 c 401 § 3.]

NOTES:

     *Reviser's note: The higher education coordinating board was abolished by 2011 1st sp.s. c 11 § 301, effective July 1, 2012.

     Intent -- 2009 c 548: See RCW 28A.150.1981.

     Finding -- 2009 c 548: See note following RCW 28A.410.270.

     Intent -- Finding -- 2009 c 548: See note following RCW 28A.305.130.

     Findings -- 2007 c 401: See note following RCW 28A.300.500.