This study examines the state of Nebraska’s education data systems, analyzing their ability to meet the needs of teachers, researchers, and policymakers. Informed by over 200 state education leaders, the resource explores system costs, administrative interrelationships, and data accessibility. It provides a strategic one, three, and five-year plan to upgrade and modernize the state's data infrastructure for improved school performance and accountability.

This follow-up study compares the actual ROI of the Michigan Data Hub (MiDataHub) against its original 2016 estimates. With a total state investment of $23.7 million, the report reveals significant efficiency gains: while standard integrations cost $7,532, MiDataHub integrations average just $3,711. Learn how an annual investment of only $3.47 per student has optimized data system integrations and delivered measurable value to Michigan districts and taxpayers.

Managing K-12 data costs Michigan districts over $160 million annually. This study highlights how the Michigan Data Hub provides a standardized platform to eliminate duplicative efforts and automate compliance reporting, offering a clear path to reducing these costs by one-third. By leveraging shared tools and a common data infrastructure, the Hub demonstrates how districts can save at least $56 million per year while shifting from a compliance mindset to smarter, year-round data management.

The lack of standardized, national definitions for core special education terms creates a systemic transfer gap for military-connected students. When families relocate, this lack of clarity often leads to significant delays in students receiving comparable services in their new school districts. To ensure the timely and consistent implementation of IEPs, researchers convened an expert panel to establish a national consensus on these essential service terms. Bridging this gap is critical to maintaining educational continuity and support for students with disabilities during military transitions.

Interoperability is the essential foundation for AI success in K-12 education. To implement AI that truly benefits schools, leaders must build an underlying structure grounded in mature data standards. The Q1 2026 Quarterly AI and Interoperability Brief explores this critical intersection, highlighting the latest trends, case studies, and tools needed to optimize your educational technology ecosystem for the AI era.

This worksheet allows teams to create a side-by-side risk matrix for every vendor, allowing them to make a safe, confident, and informed decision before entering a vendor agreement.

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) and frontier AI models rapidly reshape the educational landscape, school systems face a dual challenge: harnessing these tools' transformative potential while rigorously safeguarding student data, privacy, and well-being. The following slide deck is available for better understanding.

We developed this resource to bridge the gap between technical data governance and ethical AI implementation, responding to practical needs from our work leading 29 school district policy labs and 10 state policy labs. These questions are designed to help district and state leadership vet tools not just for what they can do, but for how they fit into a secure, interoperable, and learner-centered ecosystem. Whether you are evaluating a standalone AI app or integrating a large-scale frontier model, this guide can be part of your blueprint for responsible innovation.

Transforming Education Data for Literacy and Improved Student Outcomes for All explores Nebraska’s multi-year effort to make K–12 education data more accessible, actionable, and aligned with the needs of educators and students. Through the Nebraska Education Data Partnership (NEDP) and the state’s ADVISER system—built on the Ed-Fi Data Standard—Nebraska is connecting data across classrooms, districts, and Education Service Units to support better instructional decisions and improve literacy outcomes.

Outcomes based contracting (OBC) offers an innovative approach to addressing the fundamental challenges in edtech procurement by restructuring how districts select, implement, and pay for edtech products and services.

Outcomes based contracting (OBC) offers an innovative approach to addressing the fundamental challenges in edtech procurement by restructuring how districts select, implement, and pay for edtech products and services.

Procuring educational technology (edtech) in K-12 education presents numerous challenges for both the buyer (school districts and states) and the seller (educational technology solution providers). These challenges necessitate more effective communication between the supply-side vendors and the demand-side consumers - local education agencies (LEAs). In an era when technology and education intersect, these tools must meet specific quality benchmarks around safety, usability, accessibility, interoperability, and evidence-based design to support informed decision-making in this space.

Privacy and security in K-12 have never been more critical. As technology matures and advances, the use of education technology and artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more widespread, the risks of attacks, human error, and other privacy and security concerns will only continue to grow. All roles involved in K-12 education must understand how to protect student data.

Standards are the backbone of interoperability in K-12 education technology. Whether moving data within a single platform or across multiple systems, having a clear set of criteria is essential. These criteria can be custom-built or adopted from existing community standards. This resource aims to help edtech solutions providers understand the importance of standards, the benefits of community collaboration, and expectations around navigating/implementing various standards to achieve seamless interoperability.

Understanding student achievements, resource allocations, and educational outcomes across demographics requires comprehensive data. However, many state education agencies (SEAs) maintain data in isolated silos with varying types and formats, hindering cross-state comparisons and national trend analyses. This inconsistency complicates educational planning and resource distribution.

The significance of product certifications in education technology software cannot be overstated. Among the myriad of certifications available for different product dimensions, those focused on data interoperability are crucial in signaling tool practices responsible for data stewardship. This resource delves into the rationale behind interoperability certification for education software providers, emphasizing the importance of data ownership, stewardship, and aligning certifications with core organizational objectives.

Data validation enhances data quality by ensuring the data in a source system is accurate and reliable. When strong data validation practices exist, K-12 leaders can make informed decisions and keep schools running smoothly. This resource dives into the essential aspects of data validation in education.

Data modernization is a multi-step process that improves an organization's data infrastructure, tools, and practices. It involves moving data from legacy systems to modern technologies, often in the cloud, to make data more accessible. It involves adopting contemporary technologies and strategies to address outdated data management practices. 

For K-12 organizations, including local education agencies (LEAs), state education agencies (SEAs), and education service centers, data modernization is a critical journey that enables them to use the power of data to drive better decision-making and improve student outcomes.