Press Release
National Student Clearinghouse® Receives Major Grant to
Develop First Nationwide High School Research and Reporting System
Herndon, VA, February 12, 2009 - The National Student Clearinghouse will
develop a groundbreaking high school research and reporting system that will
allow participating high schools in all 50 states to better measure the
academic success of their students after they graduate. A new $2.9 million
investment from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will help support
the creation of the system, providing critical feedback for both high
schools and postsecondary institutions. The Clearinghouse, a non-profit
organization founded in 1993 in cooperation with the higher education
community, acts as the agent for more than 3,200 U.S. postsecondary
institutions and more than 1,600 high schools providing them with
educational verification and research services.
This new Clearinghouse system-an expansion of its StudentTracker for High
Schools system-will address the urgent need within the education community
for a standardized method for measuring the actual educational outcomes of
students once they finish high school. Currently, there is no universally
accepted way to determine the postsecondary attainment of high school
students. As a result, U.S. policy makers and educators are unable to
uniformly assess the performance of the nation's secondary school system and
make information-based decisions on policy and program improvements.
"This grant represents an incredible opportunity for the Clearinghouse
and our participating institutions to contribute to a greater understanding
of the country's educational efforts. It also represents a logical extension
of the Clearinghouse's unique data collection and reporting capabilities,
providing the first true information bridge between secondary and
postsecondary education," said Clearinghouse President Rick Torres.
"Most importantly, by providing an accurate and consistent way to
measure student achievement, we enable educators to better prepare the
nation's students to compete and succeed."
Over the next 12 months, the Clearinghouse will partner with a small number
of states to conduct data matching tests, redesign reports, develop new
analysis tools, and obtain user feedback. The number and names of the
participating pilot states have not been finalized.
"Most high schools and school districts have no way of tracking their
students from graduation through college enrollment and completion,"
said Vicki L. Phillips, director of education at the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation. "The Clearinghouse will play a vital role in closing
this data gap, providing more clarity around student outcomes and
strengthening the link between secondary and postsecondary institutions to
support greater student achievement." Many education and labor experts
predict that an undereducated U.S. workforce will have dire consequences on
the country's ability to compete globally.
The Clearinghouse's enrollment reporting service is used by nearly all of
the nation's colleges and is updated every 30-45 days. Additionally,
institutions that award 80% of U.S. college degrees participate in its
degree verification service, DegreeVerify, and regularly submit updated
graduation records. As a result, the Clearinghouse maintains the only
nationwide collection of collegiate enrollment and degree records, covering
more than 80 million students and growing. Through its educational research
service, StudentTracker, the Clearinghouse enables educational institutions
and researchers to study postsecondary enrollment and success by querying
its database. StudentTracker, like all Clearinghouse services, is operated
in full compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
Additionally, all research is conducted utilizing safeguards to protect data
privacy.
In 2003, the Clearinghouse extended its StudentTracker service to high
schools. Today nearly 500 high school districts, representing more than 13%
of U.S. high school enrollment, use StudentTracker for High Schools.
Participants comprise some of the nation's largest school districts,
including Chicago Public Schools and Los Angeles Unified School District.
The Clearinghouse will use its grant to evolve the technology and
infrastructure of StudentTracker for High Schools to enable it to meet the
complex requirements of a national secondary data collection and reporting
system: reliable, unbiased and comparable information that it is accessible
and affordable by all secondary education providers.
According to Torres, the Clearinghouse's history in successfully delivering
scalable services will be an advantage in developing the new system:
"Every day we work with institutions that have varying levels of
technical sophistication. Our services work just as well for colleges that
have fewer than 500 students as they do for institutions with enrollments
exceeding 35,000." He also cited the Clearinghouse's strong reputation
among the education community as an asset. "Our unprecedented 15-year
track record as a highly trusted agent to colleges, state agencies, the
Department of Education, the education finance industry, and many prominent
research organizations reflects our deep understanding of the special data
reporting and research requirements of the educational community, which will
be so important in developing a secondary system."
In the United States, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is focused on
increasing opportunity for all Americans by ensuring all students-regardless
of race or family income-can graduate college-ready and earn a postsecondary
credential with real value in the workplace.
About The National Student Clearinghouse
The National Student Clearinghouse is the most trusted source for enrollment
and degree verification in the U.S. A non-profit organization founded in
cooperation with the higher education community in 1993, the Clearinghouse
serves as a central repository and single point of contact for the collection
and timely exchange of accurate, comprehensive enrollment, degree and
certificate records on behalf of participating institutions.
More than 3,300 colleges, enrolling 92% of US college students, participate
in the Clearinghouse. Student loan providers, employers, student credit issuers,
student health insurance providers, the U.S. Department of Education, and others
access the Clearinghouse's registry over 100 million times annually to conduct
electronic student record verifications. In addition, the Clearinghouse provides
educational research services to both secondary and postsecondary institutions
that provide insights on student access, transfer, permanence, and graduation
rates.
Most Clearinghouse services are provided to colleges and universities at
little or no charge, enabling institutions to redistribute limited staff and
budget resources to more important student service efforts. Its services are
designed to work for institutions of any size, from those with fewer than 500
students to those with enrollments exceeding 35,000. Cumulatively, institutions
have saved millions of dollars by participating in the Clearinghouse. The
success of the Clearinghouse's customer-oriented approach was recognized in a
fall 2008 survey of its institutional participants wherein 92% said they would
recommend the Clearinghouse to other educational institutions.
For more information, visit www.studentclearinghouse.org.
For Questions About This Press Release Only, Contact:
Kathleen Dugan
Marketing Director
703-742-4208
dugan@studentclearinghouse.org
For Help With or Questions About Any Clearinghouse Service, Contact:
703-742-4200
service@studentclearinghouse.org
