Multi-State Data Collaborative (MSDC)

The MSDC brings state agency program, policy, and data experts together to focus on using agency administrative data to address critical program and policy questions. State agencies value the supportive network the MSDC provides staff to share ideas, access technical assistance, and share their practices and products across functional, sectoral, and state lines. MSDC members also join regional collaboratives and cross-regional project groups to develop projects that lead to data products that inform policies and improve programs and practices at the local, state, and regional levels.

Starting with a regional focus and the Midwest Collaborative, followed by the Southern Regional Data Collaborative and the Eastern States Longitudinal Data Collaborative, this “collaborative of collaboratives” also supports cross-regional project development focused on topics of national, regional, state, and local interest. NASWA supports the MSDC as the backbone organization, and partners closely with the Coleridge Initiative as the platform organization, the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO), and other partners and funders.

Questions Critical to Society

The MSDC is a network for developing data projects and products that answer questions critical to state and local needs and will impact policy or practice. Some of the priority topics collaborative members are interested in exploring are:

Expand to view questions

1. What are the employment and earnings outcomes associated with post-secondary completers?
2. Who are post-secondary non-completers and what are the completion, employment, and earnings outcomes associated with alternative strategies to engage and support them in post-secondary programs?
3. What are the employment and earnings outcomes of alternative registered apprenticeship and work-based learning strategies?
4. What are the employment and earnings outcomes for public school students who enroll in alternative post-secondary programs?
5. How can we use data to support and improve connections and access to post-secondary education and training for UI claimants and what are the associated employment and earnings outcomes?
6. How can we refine the Unemployment to Reemployment Portal to create additional timely measures of UI program participation and claimant and employer labor market activity?
7. Can we build new measures of leaver wage progression for TANF recipients that are more effective for policy and practice decisions?
8. What are the nature and dynamics of the essential workforce (child care, teachers, etc) at the regional labor market level, including employment trajectories, and how do labor market, public policy, and economic factors influence the workforce?
9. How can the collaborative data sharing ecosystem leverage cross-program and interstate social determinants of health (SDOH) data to support better service and outcomes for Medicaid customers?
10. What is the value of post-secondary credential attainment for specific credentials aligned with occupations or industry sectors?
11. Can we collaborate to develop a publicly available data model for state K-12 data submissions to the ADRF, outline use cases, describe existing data models, and create technical documentation detailing tables, elements, options set, and entity relationships?
12. What are effective frameworks for defining, understanding, and improving equity in the context of the Unemployment Insurance or other programs?

What's in it for State Agencies?

Over 25 states have been active in at least one regional collaborative, with levels of engagement ranging from informing founding discussions to leading development of shared data products.

The MSDC aims to support agencies where you are – it recognizes state agencies are at different places in terms of culture, expertise, resources, data systems, and data access.

Through the MSDC, you can:

• Leverage already existing ideas, data practices, products, and projects created by a state or states.
• Help develop new data practices and products with other states and state agencies.
• Build staff capacity through relationships with program and data leaders in other sectors and states.
• Weigh in on priority research areas of focus for collaboration.
• Access outside research partners and potential project funding opportunities.
• Host, manage, and allow access to data (on a per-project basis based on agency approval) with other states through the Administrative Data Research Facility (ADRF), using aligned data agreements.
• Engage in Applied Data Analytics training opportunities.
• Assume a national leadership role by serving as an MSDC Executive Committee member, leading a project group, or sponsoring a training class.
• Engage with and help inform federal policymakers and stakeholders on state needs and opportunities.

The Multi-State Data Collaborative relies on a governing framework and a common data-sharing agreement to support data access regionally and nationally. Together, state partners establish shared priorities and an agenda for research and data products, supported by NASWA as the administering organization. Much work is conducted with de-identified microdata stored in a common data platform operated by the Coleridge Initiative. Individual state agencies approve and oversee access to their data for approved projects—state autonomy and agency oversight are paramount principles—and can separately pursue their own projects relying on the shared infrastructure.

The governance framework is implemented via shared bylaws and a common memorandum of understanding with the administering organization. The governance framework includes a policymaking body (Council), an advisory body (Data Representatives Board), and a coordinating body (Executive Committee). The graphic illustrates the basic elements of the governance structure.

Administering Organization Leadership Team

The Administering Organization advises, supports, and coordinates the work of the MSDC; issues requests for solicitations for information or proposals from external researchers to address priority topics as directed by the MSDC; assists in coordination and oversight of project approval process(es); serves as an essential point of engagement for external constituents including federal agencies, funders, and such advisory experts as deemed necessary by collaborative governing bodies; provides business and financial support, scheduling and coordination, and administrative support including preparation of meeting minutes; communicates and conducts outreach on behalf of the MSDC and their governing bodies to outside organizations, project leads, and other stakeholders.