It’s no surprise they have so many worries. They are on the front line of any changes in curricula and requests for resources. Ultimately, the leaders are accountable to teachers, guardians, policymakers, researchers and the community for the schools’ performance. What could help school leaders? Data that is centrally collected, integrated, enriched and easy to analyze can help them tackle tough questions and make more confident decisions.

So, what’s needed? A robust statewide longitudinal data system (SLDS). SLDS is a comprehensive data system that tracks student information over time and connects data from various sources to provide a complete picture of a student’s educational journey. SLDS can help leaders understand the impact of a decision, policy change, implemented programs and how resources affect a student’s future. As states evolve their SLDS, it is imperative that they identify current challenges they are trying to solve while building a flexible system that can answer today’s questions and anticipate unforeseen concerns. The SLDS of the future will incorporate emerging technologies such as AI into data and analytics for decision making.