Bill > H630

This bill establishes the Massachusetts Education-to-Career Data Center, a new state entity within the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security designed to create and manage a comprehensive education and workforce data system. The center will be led by an executive director and governed by a 15-member board representing various state agencies and public appointees, with the goal of collecting, analyzing, and providing access to longitudinal data that tracks educational and career outcomes. The data system will aggregate information from multiple state agencies, including early education, K-12 education, higher education, and unemployment assistance, with strict privacy protections such as de-identification of personal information and compliance with federal and state privacy laws. Key objectives include addressing educational and workforce disparities, supporting student decision-making, fostering continuous improvement in education and workforce development, and enabling research to enhance policy-making. The center will create public data query tools, facilitate research requests through a secure data enclave, and produce standard reports, all while ensuring individual privacy and maintaining data ownership with the original providers. The bill also allows for the creation of research-practice partnerships and provides a mechanism for identifying and evaluating strategic initiatives that may require enhanced data collection or analysis.

Budget and Finance, Education

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H630