Press Release
National Student ClearinghouseŽ Partners with American Association of
School Administrators to Provide High Schools and Districts with Low-Cost,
Cutting-Edge Postsecondary Student Enrollment, Progression, and Completion
Research
Herndon, VA, August 9, 2010 - The National Student Clearinghouse and the
American Association of School Administrators (AASA) have partnered to
provide high schools and districts with access to the only nationwide
student research and reporting system, StudentTrackerSM. The
Clearinghouse's StudentTracker service provides high schools and districts
with continuing collegiate enrollment, progression, and completion
statistics on their alumni. The Clearinghouse, a non-profit organization,
acts as the agent for more than 3,300 U.S. postsecondary institutions and
more than 3,000 high schools, providing them with educational verification
and research services. AASA is the professional organization for more than
13,000 school superintendents and other education leaders in the United
States and throughout the world.
Through the partnership, AASA can provide its members with the
opportunity to enroll in StudentTracker, which will allow them to query the
Clearinghouse's national database containing student records on more than
92% of U.S. higher education enrollment. StudentTracker helps secondary
educators learn which of their students went on to college, where they
enrolled, and whether or not they graduated. Users receive 30 easy-to-read
color graphs and charts summarizing their high school graduates'
postsecondary performance nationwide – information that is available
exclusively through the Clearinghouse.
StudentTracker users also receive student-level detail, allowing
educators for the first time to link secondary data to postsecondary
outcomes both within their state and across the U.S., regardless of
institution type. Most high schools and districts send six to eight years of
graduation data to the Clearinghouse, enabling them to examine trends over
time. In this way, StudentTracker provides resource-strapped districts and
states with an affordable alternative for accurate longitudinal data
outcomes reporting.
"Since 2003, the Clearinghouse has helped secondary educators
perform affordable longitudinal studies to improve educational outcomes.
AASA's powerful membership education and information distribution
capabilities offer an excellent opportunity for us to significantly extend
our commitment to high schools, districts, and states," said
Clearinghouse President Rick Torres. "Over the years, we have seen
powerful examples of how Clearinghouse data has helped transform district
performance."
"One example is Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland, where
Dr. Jerry Weast, the district superintendent, has developed a data-driven
approach to measuring K-12 performance anchored by Clearinghouse data,"
continued Torres. "The district combined its own information with
StudentTracker data to determine how likely their Advanced Placement (AP)
students were to enroll in, persist in, and complete college. MCPS is just
one of the many school systems that have leveraged Clearinghouse data to
develop cutting-edge analyses of their curriculum as well as robust K-12
performance metrics."
"Our collaboration with the Clearinghouse represents a valuable
opportunity for our members to significantly expand their understanding of
their graduates' collegiate success," said AASA Executive Director
Daniel A. Domenech. "Knowing how graduates fared in college will help
districts better serve the students in their schools. We look forward to
working with the Clearinghouse to help our members benefit from
StudentTracker's unique student research capabilities."
To enroll your high school or district in StudentTracker or for more
information on StudentTracker, contact Bill Clendaniel at 703-969-2921 or bclendaniel@aasa.org.
Additional information on StudentTracker, including a sample report and
published studies from high school and district clients, including MCPS, is
available at www.studentclearinghouse.org/highschools.
About AASA
The American Association of School Administrators, founded in 1865, is the
professional organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders across the
United States and throughout the world. AASA's mission is to support and develop
effective school system leaders who are dedicated to the highest quality public
education for all children. For more information, please visit www.aasa.org.
About The National Student ClearinghouseŽ
The National Student Clearinghouse (a non-profit formed in 1993) is the
unique and trusted source for higher education enrollment and degree
verifications. The Clearinghouse serves as a single point of contact for the
collection and timely exchange of accurate and comprehensive enrollment, degree
and certificate records on behalf of its more than 3,300 participating higher
education institutions, which represent over 92% of the national enrollment.
Through its verification and reporting services, the Clearinghouse saves
higher education institutions cumulatively more than a hundred million dollars
annually. Most Clearinghouse services are provided to colleges and universities
at little or no charge, including enhanced transcript and research services,
enabling institutions to redistribute limited staff and budget resources to more
important student service efforts. All Clearinghouse services are operated in
full compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
In addition, the Clearinghouse provides accurate FERPA compliant
verifications to student loan providers, employers, student credit issuers,
student health insurance providers, the U.S. Department of Education, and others
who access its registry more than 100 million times annually.
For more information, visit www.studentclearinghouse.org.
AASA Contact:
Kitty Porterfield
Communications & Media Relations
703-774-6953
kporterfield@aasa.org
National Student Clearinghouse Contact:
Kathleen Dugan
Marketing Director
703-742-4208
dugan@studentclearinghouse.org
