Information Collection and Dissemination Program: Enhancing Access to Education Data. Commission Report 04-06

Overview & Synopsis

The California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC) has collected and provided information about education ? particularly higher education--in California since 1976. As a "one-stop-shop" for information about education beyond high school, the CPEC Information Collection and Dissemination Program is well known for its commitment to data quality, responsiveness to users, and the consistency and structure of the data. The increased demand for timely, accurate, and accessible data to inform policy decisions on demographic changes, accountability initiatives, and on-going fiscal constraints in California places a premium on information. Education stakeholders increasingly use CPEC as the resource for comprehensive and objective information. Despite its many strengths, the Commission's database system could be made even more valuable to education stakeholders if the recommendations contained in this report are implemented. The report recommends that the Commission: (1) work with the Legislature and the Governor to provide the staffing required to attain and sustain a high quality and comprehensive Information Collection and Dissemination Program; (2) establish a budget and schedule to update/replace its technology infrastructure; and (3) request the segments to work with CPEC to develop interagency data-sharing mechanisms in order to secure the data required to fulfill its mission, and if that is unsuccessful within the next 30 days, the Commission work with the Legislature and the Governor to augment its authority to request such data.