New Senate bill would update state education, workforce data systems for AI era

Two senators on Wednesday introduced legislation aimed at modernizing the federal program that helps states build longitudinal data systems — secure databases that follow people’s education and career progress by connecting information from different stages of their lives — using artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.

The Reimagining Education and Skills through Unified Longitudinal Talent Systems, or RESULTS Act, introduced by Lisa Blunt Rochester, a Democrat from Delaware, and Roger Marshall, a Kansas Republican, would update the federal Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems program by encouraging states to link data across early childhood education, K-12 schools, higher education and workforce systems.

“AI presents never-before-seen opportunities for education, and our economy. However, we need access to high-quality data to ensure we’re making the best decisions for our communities,” Rochester said in a press release. “Right now, that data is decentralized, making it hard to access, and harder to interpret.”

The legislation comes as states increasingly look to integrated data systems to evaluate education outcomes, workforce development programs and the skills needed in an economy reshaped by AI. Thirty-three states operate statewide longitudinal data systems, while nine more are developing such systems, according to the nonprofit Education Commission of the States.

In a similar bid to aid the state’s workforce, California’s Cradle-to-Career office, which manages a statewide education and workforce data project, last month launched the pilot phase of Career Passport, a new digital credentialing tool designed to help workers showcase skills and qualifications gained through education, military service, job training and work experience, regardless of whether they hold a four-year degree.

The National Center for Education Statistics, which manages the Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems program, has awarded more than $930 million to help states build and expand individual-level data systems connecting education to the workforce since it was established in 2005, according to a report published last year.

In addition to broadening eligibility for SLDS grants to governors and state-designated data-governance bodies, the legislation would expand state access to the National Directory of New Hires for required education and workforce performance reporting. The bill also proposes consolidating the Education Department’s SLDS program with the Labor Department’s Workforce Data Quality Initiative, which funds parallel workforce data efforts.

In the press release, Marshall argued that better-connected data could help policymakers identify skills gaps, track employment outcomes and adapt education programs to changing labor market demands driven by the rising use of AI: “Artificial intelligence is a tool—not a replacement for the American worker. Whether it’s in a doctor’s office, on a farm, or in manufacturing, AI can help people work smarter and more efficiently. But if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.”