Gutted NCES Releases First Batch of Higher Ed Data

""The underlying data, as well as the online IPEDS data tools, were unaffected," a department statement noted."

""I was not sure if we would see any new data coming out any time soon, so this is a good sign. But looking under the hood, there are clear signs that they're struggling to do the same quality of data collection and posting as t"

The Education Department released the first tranche of Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) data since January. Colleges and universities submitted the data before the administration change, and statisticians and education researchers reported no immediate reason to mistrust the newly released data. The National Center for Education Statistics had recently laid off nearly all staff and the Institute of Education Sciences experienced about $900 million in contract reductions. The data release occurred later than some expected and included erroneous communications and initial syntax errors that were later fixed. Department officials stated the release was within the traditional July–September window and that underlying data and IPEDS tools were unaffected. The rollout problems raise questions about NCES's capacity to administer IPEDS with significantly fewer resources.

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