SLDS Data Use Issue Brief 2: Forming Research Partnerships with State and Local Education Agencies, July 2012 1

Data Use Issue Brief 2

Forming Research Partnerships with State 

and Local Education Agencies

July 2012

This publication is part of a 

series of Data Use Issue Briefs 

designed to share best practices 

on data use by states. Issue 

Brief 1 provides an overview of 

the different types of data use. 

Briefs 2-4 share best practices for 

conducting education research with 

longitudinal administrative data. 

Look for forthcoming issue briefs on 

instructional data use.

Data Use Issue Brief 1:

The Data Use Landscape 

Data Use Issue Brief 2:

Forming Research Partnerships with 

State and Local Education Agencies

Data Use Issue Brief 3:

Turning Administrative Data into 

Research-Ready Longitudinal Datasets

Data Use Issue Brief 4:

Techniques for Analyzing 

Longitudinal Administrative Data

Also look for the forthcoming NCES 

“Forum Guide to Supporting Data 

Access for Researchers: A State 

Education Agency Perspective”

For more information on the IES SLDS 

Grant Program or for support with system

development and use, please visit 

http://nces.ed.gov/programs/SLDS.

Statewide longitudinal data systems (SLDSs) can provide state and local education agencies (SEAs and 

LEAs) with a wealth of research data. However, education agency expertise and resources are primarily 

focused on preparing state and federal reports and conducting analyses for state government, local school 

boards, and other stakeholders. SEAs and LEAs also value more generalizable education research that 

benefits from the combined expertise of agency staff and interdisciplinary education researchers. This issue 

brief draws on discussions with SEA and LEA staff and applied researchers to share helpful advice on 

forming effective partnerships. 

Research Partnership Approaches

Research partnerships can be constructed to make the best use of each party’s strengths, 

as described in Table 1.

Table 1. Relative expertise of SEAs/LEAs and researchers.

Relative Expertise

SEA/LEA •	 Extensive knowledge of data collection process

•	 Extensive knowledge of local context and needs

•	 Ability to communicate directly with stakeholders

•	 Ability to implement and/or verify findings

Researchers •	 Extensive knowledge of field and methodology

•	 Extensive experience framing research questions

•	 Access to research funding, staff, and statistical programs

•	 Ability to disseminate actionable findings nationally

There are several different forms an effective research partnership can take. SEAs and 

LEAs may be participating in more than one type, including some through their P-20W 

partnerships (i.e., data sharing partnerships among preschool, K12, postsecondary, 

workforce, and other agencies).

Research consortia are funded groups of researchers at local universities or think tanks 

working directly with SEAs or LEAs to frame questions, prepare and analyze data, and 

disseminate and implement findings. 

Capacity building partnerships exist where funded research institutions embed data analysts 

in sponsored LEAs or SEAs to work alongside staff cleaning and analyzing data. The 

sponsoring institution may also be authorized to use the data for longer-term research. 

Research portals are created and managed by SEAs or LEAs in collaboration with higher 

education and other public service institutions. Data and analytic tools are made available 

online through secure portals for individuals to conduct their own analysis. 

Academic researchers enter into memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with SEAs or LEAs and 

other agencies to access the data for long-term, sophisticated causal analysis or evaluations 

often funded by research grants from foundations and the Institute of Education Sciences 

(IES). Education agencies may be named as partners on the grant proposals. 

Regional Educational Labs (RELs), funded by IES, form research alliances with SEAs and 

LEAs to research relevant education topics. 
SLDS Data Use Issue Brief 2: Forming Research Partnerships with State and Local Education Agencies, July 2012 2

Producing Good Policy Research

Regardless of which form the partnership takes, there are 

several important steps to producing good policy research 

with administrative data and rigorous research methods. 

Determining clear roles early on can lead to sustainable, 

productive partnerships. While SEA/LEAs and their research 

partners have distinct roles and responsibilities, they also share 

some in common (see Figure 1, below).

1. Framing the research agenda

General policy questions of interest to agencies and stakeholders 

need to be framed in terms of research questions that can be 

explored using available data. Partners need to determine the 

form of the questions to be asked and the quality of the data 

elements necessary to answer them. (For more information, 

see Issue Brief 3, “Turning Administrative Data into ResearchReady Longitudinal Datasets,” and Issue Brief 4, “Techniques 

for Analyzing Longitudinal Administrative Data.”)

2. Determining the data sharing arrangements

Data sharing agreements vary according to the needs and details 

of the partnership. For example, in advanced data systems, 

partners may be able to choose a subset of data elements from 

a detailed codebook or data dictionary. An MOU specifies the 

subset of elements, as well as who may access them, by what 

method, and for how long. Alternatively, agencies may arrange 

for copies of all the data files to be housed at the partner’s 

research institution, with an MOU specifying that the data’s 

accessibility and use be restricted to secure research serving 

the stakeholder community. In exchange, the agency receives 

cleaned, merged, and de-identified data files.

3. Specifying the research and data deliverables

Researchers often tackle policy questions by undertaking longterm research agendas resulting in multiple peer-reviewed journal 

articles or in-depth reports. Education agencies that want to take 

advantage of this high level of research capacity may want to request 

additional, interim deliverables. These can take the form of white 

papers or conferences, and should be tailored to policymakers and 

educators. Finally, appropriate disclosure limitation procedures 

should be specified in advance for all disseminated products.

In addition to research findings, partners should have a 

requirement to share information about the data. Agencies will 

need to provide researchers with information about the data 

collection process and any concerns about the resulting files. 

This could be achieved through documentation or training. 

Researchers should in turn provide details on the construction 

of their analysis subsamples and composite variables. 

4. Building in sustainability

Valuable research may be carried out over several years, during which 

time the data and questions will likely evolve. Partners will need to 

establish procedures for how data files are updated when errors are 

found or new data become available. High-quality, evolving research 

requires long-term access to the data files; at the same time, limiting 

access to too few researchers can limit the range of policy questions 

addressed. In addition to deciding on the number and length of 

MOUs, agencies will need to determine whether researchers are 

allowed to add new collaborators or graduate student research 

assistants to the original MOUs. Visit the LDS Share on the SLDS 

website for sample MOUs and other resources, or to request 

technical assistance with forming research partnerships 

(http://nces.ed.gov/programs/SLDS/LDSShare/SLDS.aspx).

Figure 1. The individual and shared roles of research partners.