[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6309 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 6309
To improve data collection related to student parents pursuing higher
education, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 8, 2023
Ms. Ross (for herself and Mrs. McBath) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To improve data collection related to student parents pursuing higher
education, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Understanding Student Parent
Outcomes Act of 2023''.
SEC. 2. DATA ON STUDENT PARENTS PURSUING HIGHER EDUCATION.
(a) IPEDS Data Elements.--The Commissioner of Education Statistics
shall--
(1) not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment
of this Act, develop data elements related to the parental
status of students attending institutions of higher education
for the surveys conducted as a part of the Integrated
Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) to collect data
related to students who are parents or caregivers of dependent
children, including--
(A) the number of students who identify as a
parent;
(B) the number of students who identify as a
caregiver;
(C) the enrollment, retention, and completion rates
of students who are a parent or caregiver;
(D) the average individual net price (calculated in
the same manner as the average individual net price of
such institution is calculated under section 132(h)(2)
of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1015a(h)(2))) charged to students who are a parent or
caregiver;
(E) with respect to students who are a parent or
caregiver--
(i) the marital status of such students
(reported in aggregate by marital status
categories);
(ii) the number of such students who are
employed for all or part of the academic year
while enrolled;
(iii) the median income of such students,
and the number of such students in each income
category (determined in accordance with section
132(i)(6) of the Higher Education Act of 1965
(20 U.S.C. 1015a(i)(6));
(iv) the total number of such students who
are enrolled in an associate, baccalaureate, or
graduate degree program, or a certificate
program;
(v) the total number of such students who
are enrolled full-time, part-time, or less than
part-time;
(vi) the total number of such students who
are Federal Pell grant recipients; and
(vii) the total number of such students who
use campus-based childcare services; and
(2) beginning with academic year 2024-2025 and annually
thereafter, collect information regarding the data elements
described in paragraph (1) with respect to at least all
institutions of higher education participating in programs
under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1070 et seq.).
(b) Technical Assistance.--The Secretary of Education, in
consultation with the Commissioner of Education Statistics, shall
provide technical assistance to States and institutions of higher
education related to developing and carrying out State and
institutional data collection mechanisms for data on the parental
status of students collected in accordance with subsection (a),
including--
(1) how to leverage existing systems, surveys, and other
data collection mechanisms to collect and report such data, and
examples and best practices related to data collection and
privacy;
(2) integration and reporting of such data with State
information systems, including Statewide Longitudinal Data
Systems;
(3) how to account for data elements that change over time;
and
(4) recommendations of best practices to institutions of
higher education related to communicating with students about
data use and privacy, including how data will be used to help
students who are parents or caregivers of dependent children.
SEC. 3. STUDY ON IMPROVING STUDENT PARENT OUTCOMES.
(a) Study.--The Secretary of Education shall conduct a study of a
demographically and geographically representative sample of
institutions of higher education (as determined by the Secretary) on
best practices of institutions of higher education that improve
outcomes for students attending institutions of higher education who
are parents or caregivers of dependent children. Such study shall
include qualitative and quantitative research on--
(1) the enrollment, persistence, and retention of students
attending institutions of higher education who are parents or
caregivers of dependent children, disaggregated by race,
ethnicity, gender, income, and the type of program in which
such students are enrolled (such as an associate,
baccalaureate, or graduate degree program, or a certificate
program);
(2) the effects of the availability of campus-based
childcare services on such outcomes of students who are parents
or caregivers of dependent children, including a comparison of
students whose children are served by the campus-based
childcare services with students whose children are not served
by campus-based childcare services;
(3) enrollment trends of students who are parents or
caregivers of dependent children to attend certain institutions
or types of institutions, and whether such trends and
preferences are based on the availability of institutional
support services for such students, such as campus-based child
care, student parent centers, and Child Care Access Means
Parents in School Program grants;
(4) the percentage of children served by campus-based
childcare services who are the children of students, compared
to the percentage of such children who are children of faculty,
staff, and other community members, disaggregated by--
(A) race, ethnicity, gender, employment or student
status (including faculty, staff, community member, and
student status), and family income of the parent of
such children; and
(B) only with respect to students who are parents
of such children, the type of program in which the
student is enrolled (such as an associate,
baccalaureate, or graduate degree program, or a
certificate program); and
(5) the strategies used by institutions of higher education
for integration of on-campus services for students who are
parents or caregivers of dependent children with other State
and institution-provided services, such as the supplemental
nutrition assistance program established under the Food and
Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.), the program of
block grants for States for temporary assistance for needy
families established under part A of title IV of the Social
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.), the special supplemental
nutrition program for women, infants, and children under the
Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786), workforce
programs including adult education and literacy activities (as
defined in section 203 of the Workforce Innovation and
Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3272)), and Head Start and Early
Head Start programs carried out under the Head Start Act (42
U.S.C. 9831 et seq.).
(b) Report and Dissemination of Findings.--Not later than 2 years
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Education
shall report the findings of the study conducted under subsection (a)
to Congress, and make such findings publicly available. Such findings
shall include information on the best practices identified by the
Secretary to be most effective at improving outcomes for students
attending institutions of higher education who are parents or
caregivers of dependent children.
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