In this Request for Applications (RFA), NCER invites applications for projects that will contribute to its Using Longitudinal Data to Support State Education Policymaking (Using Data for Policymaking) Grants program (ALN 84.305S). Through the Using Data for Policymaking Grants program, the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) supports state agencies’ use of their state’s education longitudinal data systems (SLDS) to provide evidence for their own program and policy decisions, and those of their local education agencies. State agencies are encouraged to link their SLDS data to other available datasets to better support the research. These other data may have been collected by the state agency (or local education agencies) but not incorporated into the SLDS, by other state agencies (e.g., health, social services, unemployment insurance), or by other sources. Through this linking, additional information can be obtained to better understand and explain learner performance while in formal education, variation in learner performance, and/or learner outcomes after leaving formal schooling. State agencies may apply for these grants on their own or in collaboration with other organizations. Learners may be in pre-kindergarten, K-12, postsecondary, and/or adult education
