Building Bridges, Not Barriers: The Future of Education and Workforce Data Integration

Overview

Attendees joined us for a thoughtful webinar exploring the Data Foundation's new report "Breaking Down Barriers: Implementing the Evidence Act for Education and Workforce Data." This session examined how the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act (Evidence Act) has impacted workforce and higher education data systems, highlighting five key challenge areas identified through extensive stakeholder engagement: data standards, organizational silos, resource constraints, data access barriers, and privacy concerns. The discussion focused on the report's actionable recommendations for federal agencies and Congress. 

Participants gained a clear understanding of how to advance the Evidence Act's vision for integrated data systems that support evidence-informed policymaking while maintaining privacy protections. 

Speakers

• Allison Forbes, Senior Vice President, Research at the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness (CREC)
• Avery Freeman, Policy and Research Analyst, Data Foundation
• Reg Leichty, Founder and Partner, Foresight Law + Policy
• Joanna Mikulski, CEO and Founder, Mikulski Strategies LLC  and former Senior Policy Advisor, White House Domestic Policy Council and Office of Management and Budget
• Angelica Thompson, Ph.D., Vice President, Research & Evaluation, Per Scholas