A Solution Emerges
This is a data problem and a coordination challenge—both of which are solvable through cooperation and effort. Organizations like the Council of Chief State School Officers and Data Quality Campaign are providing both, including through a new working group called MEDALS (Military Enlistment Data Access to Lift Student Success).
On the data side, the technical challenges are not insurmountable—a past Department of Labor initiative had successfully linked military enlistment data to student outcomes in the context of Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act programs. The data exist and can be used to track outcomes. The challenge is to provide a secure way for the Defense Department to share it with states.
That’s where the MEDALS comes in. The group is composed of military leaders, state officials, federal data experts, and other technical experts, with the goal of creating a standard process for states to access service data across all military branches.
One question they’ll have to grapple with is how long to track and attribute adult outcomes to their high school education. If a student graduates high school in the spring and enlists that summer, that seems like an obvious reportable outcome. But what if the student graduates, floats around various jobs for a year or more, and then decides to enlist? Does their high school still get credit for preparing a military-ready graduate? In other words, what’s the cut-off point for determining success?
The MEDALS group also is thinking deeply about privacy laws and broader concerns, including data governance policies and protecting student information. A key question here is who owns the data, and the answer must be state education agencies, not the Defense Department. The goal of these systems is to identify whether schools are preparing students to successfully enlist in the military, enter the workforce, or pursue further education. We don’t want to merely build a better way for the military to identify and target candidates. While this effort includes a strong partnership with the military and may ultimately boost their recruitment efforts, that’s never been the goal.
These are delicate issues, but I’m optimistic that the MEDALS group will produce a solution. With state education chiefs, defense officials, and congressional leaders keeping focus on this work, I believe we are on track to put military service on par with other college and career outcomes.
