5. Data Policy and Practices
5.1: There is a statewide policy (law, administrative rule or policy, executive order, etc) that outlines how data are to be ethically collected and used to improve results and address the needs of communities most in need
5.2: There is a statewide policy (law, administrative rule or policy, executive order, etc) that requires open data or a “share first” philosophy and appropriate privacy controls that allow for data sharing across agencies, with external partners, and to the public
5.3: There is a standardized data sharing agreement between the state education agency, workforce agency, and at least one other agency (i.e., an economic mobility agency, a central grant office, a budget office, an administrative agency) that allows data to be routinely shared OR There is an integrated data system with data from the state education agency, workforce agency, and at least one other agency (i.e., an economic mobility agency, a central grant office, a budget office, an administrative agency)
California
Leading Example
In September 2022, Executive Order N-16-22 mandated that California agencies create strategic plans using data analysis to advance equity and address disparities, which included input from underserved communities. It also led to the creation of the California Data Standard, which outlines best practices for collecting race and ethnicity data.
California’s open data policy promotes data sharing via the California Open Data Portal. In 2022, a new Open Data Handbook aimed to standardize data publishing. The Interagency Data Exchange Agreement, signed by all entities under the Governor’s authority, continues to be updated and expanded, streamlining secure data exchange through Business Use Case Proposals (BUCPs).
Legislation in summer 2021 created the California Cradle-to-Career Data System, with data sharing agreements, governance procedures, and community engagement. This includes data from education, employment, and other supporting agencies.
CalHHS has developed a Data Exchange Framework (AB 133) to enhance health information exchange, supported by guiding principles and a single data sharing agreement with 1,400+ organizations. The state also launched an integrated data system for homelessness.
Promising Examples
Alabama
Alabama
Alabama Code § 41-4-65 was enacted to increase transparency in Alabama state government spending. The law requires the State Comptroller to create and maintain a publicly accessible, searchable online database of state expenditures. The database must allow citizens to search spending records by agency, payee, and other categories, and must display information such as the amount, date, payer, and recipient of expenditures. The purpose of the act is to give taxpayers easier access to information about how state funds are spent and to promote accountability in government operations. The law provided the statutory foundation for Alabama’s online spending transparency portal, Open.Alabama.gov, often referred to as the state’s “open checkbook” website.
Colorado
Colorado
The Colorado Government Data Advisory Board was created in 2009 to advise the State Chief Information Officer on activities and policies necessary for developing an interdepartmental data protocol. The GDAB is composed of representatives from all the state’s agencies who directly oversee data functions at their respective agencies. The board established ethical use of data as a statewide data strategy principle serving as a guide for ongoing, consistent effort by state agencies.
A 2021 Colorado law codified the “share first” expectation (CO Code § 24-37.5-703 (2022)) for data sharing statewide, specifically that, except where prohibited by state or federal law, agencies are preemptively authorized to share data with other state agencies.
The Colorado Information Marketplace is the state’s open data repository. Beyond state open data, the Colorado Governor’s Office and the Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab co-designed the Linked Information Network of Colorado (LINC), has a three-tier legal structure, to facilitate data sharing for research and analytics in 2019. The network is designed to share data across state agencies and provide de-identified data to perform robust, academically rigorous research to inform policy.
Connecticut
Connecticut
The Chief Data Officer, along with individual agency data officers, is required to biannually update the state data plan, which covers open data and creates data standards for agencies. The plan also contains 12 principles and accompanying practices that all agencies should adopt to improve their management, use, sharing, and analysis of data. A 2018 law defines open, public, private, and high value data to guide development of the state data plan. In addition, a 2019 law recommends: 1) establishing a coordinated governance structure for cross-agency data sharing, and 2) implementing cross-agency data-sharing agreements that are more flexible and durable. Building on this report, Connecticut released a Data-Sharing Playbook and developed an enterprise memorandum of understanding to help agencies share data safely, securely, and ethically.
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware House Bill No. 154 (84 Del. Laws c. 197) created the Delaware Personal Data Privacy Act which outlines how data are to be ethically collected and provides guidance on data privacy.
In January 2018, with support from the AISP Learning Community initiative, key members of the Delaware Governor’s Family Services Cabinet Council (FSCC) began collaborating to develop the Delaware Integrated Data System (DIDS) to jointly use information from multiple agencies that provide services to Delaware’s families. According to the launch announcement: “the system will help Delaware coordinate services and support young people and families in Wilmington who are at high risk of violence, and bolster the ongoing work of the Family Services Cabinet Council.” DIDS is hosted by the Delaware DOH and Social Services and the Department of Technology & Information (DTI).
DTI is also home to Delaware’s Open Data Portal which supports data sharing with the public and has over 400 datasets available.
Florida
Florida
Florida’s PK-20 Education Data Warehouse provides public access to data linked across elementary and secondary education, university, and workforce outcomes. This comprehensive longitudinal data system supports the state’s Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) plan’s commitments to evidence-based professional development and continuous improvement.
Georgia
Georgia
The Georgia Data Analytics Center (GDAC) was established by House Bill 197 (2019 session) to build a centralized data hub for Georgia. GDACs objective is to make timely access to accurate data available to policymakers, budget directors, researchers, state agencies and departments; and provide data transparency and accountability within the state. GDAC has established a data governance committee and formalized several state agency data partnerships and data sharing agreements.
Since Governor Kemp signed an Executive Order in 2023 directing GDAC to facilitate global data exchange processes between the state executive agencies and departments. GDAC has conducted data-sharing agreements (DSA) collection annually. GDAC has about 85+ DSA collected from agencies, making over 100 DSA’s accessible to agencies on our internal SharePoint. GDAC’s goal is to make timely access to accurate data available to GA policymakers, budget directors, researchers, state agencies and departments.
Hawaii
Hawaii
The State of Hawaii’s Open Data portal provides residents, analysts, and civic developers with unparalleled access to State data for use in increasing transparency, driving civic innovation, and engaging participants in a more collaborative form of government. Visitors to the site will find over 150 datasets organized by six major topics, with more datasets continuing to be added to the site:
- Culture and Recreation
- Economic Development
- Employment
- Environmental Protection
- Formal Education
- Government-wide Support
House Bill 1885, signed in June 2022, states that each executive branch department, including the department of education and University of Hawaiʻi, shall use reasonable efforts to make appropriate and existing data sets maintained by the department electronically available to the public through the State’s open data portal.
Illinois
Illinois
The Illinois Department of Employment Security, Illinois Student Assistance Commission, Illinois Board of Higher Education, Illinois Community College Board, and Illinois State University have partnered to share workforce, financial aid, and university data for the Illinois “College2Career” resource. The integrated data platform highlights outcome metrics such as average earnings, earnings growth, and job stability for graduates of Illinois institutions of higher education. The program seeks to use these data to help Illinois students make informed education and workforce decisions.
Indiana
Indiana
A 2017 Indiana law established the position of Chief Data Officer with the budget, staff, and authority to: (1) coordinate data analytics and data transparency for state agencies; (2) advise state agencies regarding best practices for data maintenance, security, and privacy; and (3) oversee the Indiana Management Performance Hub (MPH). MPH uses state data, such as the Education and Workforce Development database, to provide “analytics solutions tailored to address complex management and policy questions enabling improved outcomes.
The Education and Workforce Development (EWD) database is a large-scale data matching initiative within MPH. This longitudinal data set is combined to answer key questions about the education and workforce pipeline allowing stakeholders to use data and information previously not available. In 2017, the Indiana Open Data Act and Management Performance Hub modernized the state’s data sharing process. Agencies now collaborate through a consistent data sharing agreement, which more uniformly protects personal information across the enterprise of the State government.
Iowa
Iowa
Iowa’s Integrated Data System for Decision-Making (i2d2) is an integrated data system, overseen by a governing board and coordinated among health, social service, and education agencies, that comprehensively identifies and addresses the needs of Iowa’s young children and families. Since launching in 2016, i2d2 has been used to better understand early childhood service utilization and the early childhood workforce.
Kentucky
Kentucky
A 2013 Kentucky law established the Kentucky Center for Statistics (KYSTATS) which collects and links high-quality, actionable data from six state agencies to improve education and workforce programs in the state. KYSTATS has a data request hub, which includes a data access and use policy, data-sharing agreement, and a data dictionary to facilitate the exchange of data with requestors, and a Security Policy that contains procedures for securing the confidentiality of the data maintained by KYSTATS. By providing data sets, publishing reports, and fulfilling research requests, the center provides state-specific insights with appropriate data privacy and data access controls.
Maryland
Maryland
In 2025, the Department of Technology (DoIT) published an IT Master Plan which ensures a common foundation of governance, privacy, security, accessibility, and interoperability, as well as artificial intelligence and emerging technologies for the State of Maryland. DoIT also updated Maryland’s Data Governance Policy and the Chief Data Officer (CDO) Council provided agencies with a template for codifying their data governance policy, supporting implementation and compliance with the statewide policy.
The Maryland Open Data Act (2014) mandates open data policies, requiring state data to be machine-readable and accessible through open data portals while protecting personally identifiable information. There are currently over 1,000 data assets curated and available for public use in the Maryland Open Data Portal.
Maryland’s Maryland Benefits program and the Maryland Longitudinal Data System Center (MLDS Center) facilitate data sharing between state agencies. Maryland Benefits is a multi-agency, cloud-based data and analytics program that provides a standardized data sharing model for state agencies to collaborate on, and use, authoritative data in support of health, human, and social services and benefit distribution. Likewise, the MLDS Center integrates student and workforce data from multiple agencies, providing analysis and insights to improve outcomes, while ensuring top-level security and data privacy. To support this work, standardized data sharing agreements have been established and maintained with all agencies in the program to ensure timely and secure access to administrative data, leading to improved outcomes for Marylanders. Both initiatives aim to enhance support and decision-making for Maryland residents.
Michigan
Michigan
Executive Order 2022-11 was established to outline how data are to be ethically collected and used to improve results and address the needs of people who are experiencing the most severe outcomes. Data sharing agreements are in place that allow for the sharing of data between Education, MDHHS, LARA and UIA. These agreements allow these agencies to routinely share data for specified purposes.
Minnesota
Minnesota
The Minnesota Government Data Practices Act “controls how government data are collected, created, stored, used and released.” This policy defines all data as public, and therefore accessible to anyone for any or no reason, unless state or federal law classifies it otherwise. Additional Minnesota statutes outline practices for use of data “for the administration and management of programs” and describe the State’s informed consent process to ensure ethical data collection.
The Minnesota P-20 Education Partnership governs the Statewide Longitudinal Education Data System (SLEDS) and Early Childhood Longitudinal Data System (ECLDS) that “form a P-20 education data system which captures, analyzes, and uses student data from preschool to…college, and the workforce.” This system is governed jointly by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education and Minnesota Departments of Education and Employment and Economic Development and incorporates data from the state departments of Human Services and Health.
Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi LifeTracks is an interoperable data system, governed by an interagency board, that supports research and analysis by providing linkages among early childhood, K-12 education, postsecondary education, and workforce data to improve career-readiness outcomes for students.
Nevada
Nevada
The Nevada P-20 to Workforce Research Data System integrates data from the state’s PK-12, higher education, and workforce agencies. With a commitment to data privacy, the system leaves all private data behind agency firewalls and uses an algorithm to de-identify data during the matching process. A wide variety of reports provide agency leaders greater insights into Nevada’s education and workforce programs, initiatives, and outcomes.
New Jersey
New Jersey
In January 2026, New Jersey formally established the New Jersey Statewide Data System at the Heldrich Center through P.L.2025, c.388. NJSDS is the State’s centralized longitudinal platform for administrative data and connects information from the Department of Education, Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, and Higher Education Student Assistance Authority. The system operates through standing governing bodies that provide strategic direction, oversee data quality and availability, and guide research and public access. NJSDS supports research and evaluation of education and workforce programs and helps policymakers measure program effectiveness, return on investment, and equity trends.
New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico’s Longitudinal Data System Project, also known as RISE-NM, will aggregate and link data from partner agencies into a single cloud data platform to evaluate education and workforce efforts in New Mexico. The project will analyze data, develop visualizations and reports, establish data governance policies and processes, respond to research requests, and provide the products of these efforts to state leaders, state education agencies (SEAs), workforce developers, practitioners, researchers, policymakers, the public, and others so they can:
- Obtain comprehensive and verified educational and workforce data and trends
- See aggregate trends in student and workforce performance
- Leverage data to improve student outcomes, workforce outcomes, and improve equity
- Perform predictive analysis
- Obtain assistance with state and federal reporting
- Make data-driven policy, programmatic, and investment decisions
- Make data-driven educational and career decisions
North Carolina
North Carolina
In 2022, The NC Department of Information Technology adopted the Fair Information Practice Principles to guide transparent data collection and use, and privacy protection policies.
In 2024, DIT adopted the Responsible Use of AI Framework to support innovation while reducing privacy and data protection risks.
The North Carolina Longitudinal Data Service (NCLDS) works to connect data from early childhood, K12 education, postsecondary, and employment to help evaluate the longer-term impacts and longer-term successes of various state programs.
Once fully implemented (FY 24-25) NCLDS will provide data contributors, practitioners, and trusted research partners with secure access to this cross-sector, longitudinal, and linked record-level data to help NC answer its most pressing questions.
Agencies that contribute data to the NCLDS will adopt a standardized data use agreement. NCLDS also developed a coordinated data request and review process for secure and timely data sharing. More broadly, the Government Data Analytics Center (GDAC), within the Department of Information Technology, works to transform data into information that facilitates decision support, increases operational efficiencies, and improves outcomes for North Carolina residents by integrating and sharing data assets.
Ohio
Ohio
The InnovateOhio Platform (IOP), launched in 2019 by Governor Mike DeWine’s Executive Order 2019-15D, features a set of core principles which emphasize data’s role as a shared strategic asset. The foundation was set forth in Ohio Revised Code 125.32 – Enterprise Data Management and Analytics Program. It facilitated standardized Data Use Agreements for efficient data sharing and established enterprise Data Governance policies. All IOP projects operate under legally binding agreements ensuring data ownership and decision-making by agencies. Currently, IOP Data Analytics holds over 332 datasets from 31 agencies for collaborative use, including the Ohio Longitudinal Data Archive (OLDA). OLDA has been an established partnership between state education, workforce, and vocational rehabilitation agencies. More than 175 projects have been completed. In 2023, IOP Data Analytics enhanced data governance dashboards to be mobile friendly, launched an enterprise data catalog for efficient discovery, and deployed a data quality tool for thorough analysis.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma’s Open Data is a service designed to provide Oklahomans with deep access to data and statistics about the activities of Oklahoma’s government. It’s a simple way to explore data about the economy, public health, transportation, the environment, and more, all on one Website.
By posting state government data in raw, machine-readable formats, it can be reformatted, repurposed, and reused in different ways, allowing the community at large to build custom applications in order to analyze and display the information. The centralized, open-format nature of the database allows anyone to create mashups and visualizations, build applications, conduct analysis and perform research.
Oklahoma’s Open Data was first created as a part of H.B. 1086- the Transparency, Accountability and Innovation in Oklahoma State Government 2.0 Act of 2011. The bill was signed into law May 20, 2011, with the goal of providing Oklahomans with unprecedented access to government.
Oregon
Oregon
Oregon’s statewide data strategy, introduced in February 2021, outlines key principles for ethical data use, spanning collection, design, community engagement, and transparency. Aligned with a 2017 law, the state progresses on its biennial action plan stemming from this strategy. Additionally, the 2017 Open Data Program mandates agencies to list and share open datasets for transparency and internal collaboration. The Chief Data Officer facilitates data sharing among agencies via an enterprise memorandum. The State Longitudinal Data System, established in 2018, merges education and workforce data, while the Trauma-Informed Pilot Project addresses equity gaps. A 2021 law creates a “system of care advisory council” to integrate data for holistic support services. This council introduces a system of care dashboard to monitor youth engagement in Oregon’s care systems, enhancing overall data integration efforts statewide. An enterprise memorandum of understanding pilot for safe and effective data sharing between Oregon state agencies recently completed.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Governor’s executive order on open data, data management, and data governance, first issued in 2017 and amended in 2019, states that data shall be shared internally and externally, whenever possible unless restricted by federal, state, or other statutes or regulations or by policies, standards, or best practices that prohibit the sharing of specific data, in order to foster innovation, cooperation, and transparency. In 2017, the state also created an enterprise data-sharing memorandum of understanding (eMOU), providing a more efficient process to obtain and provide data by, between, and among Commonwealth agencies. When it comes to sharing geospatial data in particular, the Pennsylvania State Geospatial Board has a publicly available data-sharing agreement to facilitate the sharing of data between government entities and non-state data owners, including academia, business, and nonprofits. The impact of data sharing is reflected in the board’s annual reports and special reports on state and local data sharing, importance of broadband access, COVID-19 response and recovery efforts, and land use and transportation planning.
Rhode Island
Rhode Island
Rhode Island has advanced its data policies significantly through Executive Order 24-06, issued by Governor McKee in 2024. This order established a unified statewide data governance structure, creating a federated data platform managed by the Data and AI Center of Excellence under a Chief Data Officer. Agencies are mandated to share data “to the greatest extent possible” while ensuring privacy and security compliance.
The Rhode Island Longitudinal Data System (RILDS) and the EOHHS Data Ecosystem serve as the foundation for robust interagency data integration. Recent changes to state law have led to additional efforts to connect RILDS and the EOHHS Data Ecosystem into a single unified IDS. Currently, both platforms actively integrate data from key state agencies, including the Rhode Island Department of Education, Department of Labor and Training, and the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, enhancing evidence-based policymaking and enabling effective research partnerships and public data accessibility.
South Carolina
South Carolina
The South Carolina Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office maintains an integrated data system, a data warehouse that links data from individuals being served by more than 20 state agencies and other organizations. This system has facilitated program improvement efforts and numerous research studies, including a randomized controlled trial (RCT) as a part of the state’s Pay for Success initiative to improve outcomes for low-income mothers and their babies. South Carolina has continued to expand its evaluations, including an RCT on the impact of Managed Care Organizations. In 2020, the state shared its updated report on how it would utilize the integrated data system to support COVID-19 Response.
Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee leverages a longitudinal data system, TN DATA, to link education, workforce, human services, children’s services, and economic development data at the individual level to produce insights for programmatic investments. Templatized data sharing documents and policies have been in place since 2017 and have facilitated over 100 external and internal data use projects.
Tennessee’s templatized data sharing documents and long-established governance policies have also enabled a rapid expansion of data integration and sharing with additional state agencies. In 2023, the Tennessee Office of Evidence and Impact (OEI) established memoranda of understanding with the Tennessee Department of Health, Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Service, the Division of TennCare, and the Tennessee Department of Correction to integrate individual health and criminal justice data in the cloud-based TN DATA integrated data system
Texas
Texas
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) administers the Texas Student Data System, a statewide platform for collecting, managing, sharing, and reporting state education data. The system has a data standards and data governance process. Additionally, the Workforce Information System of Texas (TWIST) links data across workforce funding streams for intake, eligibility determination, and reporting on programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Employment and Training, and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act plan. Both these data platforms are used to assess grantee performance, identify common issues that could benefit from collaborative approaches, and understand residents’ needs. Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), Texas Higher Education Commission and Board (THECB), and Texas Education Agency (TEA) signed a single comprehensive MOU for data sharing between the three agencies in July of 2022.
Utah
Utah
Utah has comprehensive data governance laws — the Government Records Access and Management Act and the Government Data Privacy Act — to codify baseline governance requirements related to data access, sharing, governance, and privacy. These laws include provisions related to the collection, use, and sharing of data with other governmental entities and researchers.
Public data and dashboards may also be found across several state and agency websites as well as the Utah Public Notice Website. One state website, Transparent Utah, helps with transparency throughout the state by showing revenue and what the state is paying for.
There is also an Office of Data Privacy that supports state agencies to help with privacy protection.
Utah’s Data Research Center has an integrated data system comprising longitudinal data between the Utah State Board of Education, the Utah System of Higher Education, the Department of Workforce Services, and Department of Health.
Virginia
Virginia
In 2020, a Virginia executive order established data governance bodies to improve data sharing between state agencies and localities. The executive order implements the recommendations from the 2019 publication Data Sharing and Analytics Governance Structure for the Commonwealth of Virginia Report. The Virginia open data portal also features resources on data use, a data dictionary, and an open data catalog.
Washington
Washington
The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services Research and Data Analysis (RDA) division provides policymakers with data and analyses to improve the effectiveness of services for clients. RDA maintains integrated client databases, which bring together data from 10 state agencies, 40 separate data systems, and individuals receiving services through publicly funded health and human services programs in Washington. Among many other applications, predictive modeling and clinical decision support tools developed and maintained in RDA’s integrated data environment have been used by the state’s Health Home Program to generate tens of millions of dollars in performance payments from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, as the result of improved care management for persons dually enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid.