Another example of interoperability's impact comes from South Carolina, where a tool called Pathways shows how timely, connected data can change the role school counselors play in students' lives.
Counselors are central to helping students meet graduation requirements and plan for life after high school, but doing that well requires a clear, current view of each student's courses, credits, and progress. Historically, that information was scattered across separate systems and often updated only monthly — meaning counselors frequently found out about problems weeks after they occurred.
By building Pathways (from Panorama) on the Ed-Fi Data Standard, South Carolina connected that fragmented data into a single up-to-date view for 245,000 high school students statewide, spanning 196 graduation pathways. Instead of reacting to changes long after the fact, counselors now see a dropped class, a course adjustment, or a shift in credits flagged as soon as the next day — early enough to step in with tutoring, alternate courses, or other support before a small issue becomes a barrier to graduation.
This is a clear illustration of what standards-based interoperability enables in practice: not just faster data delivery, but more personalized, timely guidance — connecting students to dual-credit courses and career-aligned electives based on accurate, current information. Automating these data updates also eliminated manual uploads and transfers, lowering per-student costs and freeing up resources schools can redirect toward direct student support.
South Carolina's Pathways initiative reflects a broader pattern across interoperability efforts: connecting previously siloed data doesn't just streamline administrative work — it changes what's actually possible for the people using it, in this case giving counselors the lead time they need to keep students on track for graduation and beyond.
This Story from the Field is a supplement to the 2026 Project Unicorn State of the Sector Report which analyzes K-12 school system capabilities and infrastructure for leveraging education data. Read the full report.
