[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3994 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3994
To improve data collection related to student parents pursuing higher
education, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 12, 2025
Ms. Ross (for herself, Mrs. McBath, and Mr. Bacon) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and
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 2025''.
SEC. 2. DATA ON STUDENT PARENTS PURSUING HIGHER EDUCATION.
(a) IPEDS Data Elements.--The Commissioner of Education Statistics
shall carry out the following:
(1)(A) To ensure consistency of the data collected pursuant
to paragraph (B), establish a common definition of the term
``parenting student'' that covers any student who identifies as
a parent or caregiver of a dependent child, in consultation
with groups that include--
(i) students who are parents or caregivers of
dependent children;
(ii) experts in data collection related to such
students;
(iii) support staff at institutions of higher
education for such students;
(iv) financial aid administrators at institutions
of higher education; and
(v) research staff at institutions of higher
education.
(B)(i) Not later than 2 years after the date of the
enactment of this Act, develop data elements related to
parenting students (as such term is defined pursuant to
subparagraph (A)) attending institutions of higher education
for the surveys conducted as a part of the Integrated
Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) or any other
Federal postsecondary institution data collection effort, to
collect data related to such parenting students that shall be
disaggregated in accordance with clause (ii), and which
includes data elements on--
(I) the number of parenting students;
(II) the enrollment, retention, and completion
rates of parenting students;
(III) the average individual net price charged to
parenting students by institutions of higher education
(as determined based on the calculation of the
individual net price of an institution of higher
education for a student under section 132(h)(2) of the
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1015a(h)(2)));
(IV) the marital status of such students (reported
in aggregate by marital status categories);
(V) the number of such students who are employed
for all or part of the academic year while enrolled;
(VI) 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)));
(VII) the number of such students who are enrolled
in an associate, baccalaureate, or graduate degree
program, or a certificate program;
(VIII) the number of such students who are enrolled
full-time, part-time, or less than part-time;
(IX) the number of such students who are Federal
Pell grant recipients;
(X) the number of such students who use campus-
based childcare services;
(XI) the number and age of dependent children of
such students;
(XII) the disability status of dependent children
of such students; and
(XIII) the transfer status of such students
(without regard to whether such students were admitted
as a transfer student or not).
(ii) Any data collected using the data elements developed
pursuant to clause (i) shall be disaggregated--
(I) by students who identify as a parent of a
dependent child; and
(II) by students who identify as a caregiver of a
dependent child.
(2) Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of
this Act, include the experts described in paragraph (1)(A)(ii)
in the technical and scientific peer-review groups and
scientific program advisory committees authorized under section
114(g) of the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C.
9514(g)) to advise, on a continuous basis, the Commissioner on
best practices related to data collection on parenting students
(as such term is defined pursuant to paragraph (1)(A)).
(3) Beginning with academic year 2026-2027 and annually
thereafter--
(A) collect information on the data elements
described in paragraph (1)(B) with respect to, at a
minimum, the institutions of higher education required
to complete, pursuant to section 487(a)(17) of the
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1094(a)(17)),
the surveys described in paragraph (1)(B); and
(B) disaggregate the information collected--
(i) by race and ethnicity; and
(ii) by gender.
(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
childcare, student parent centers, and grants under the Child
Care Access Means Parents in School Program under subpart 7 of
part A of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1070e);
(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.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Institution of higher education.--The term
``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given the
term section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1002).
(2) State.--The term ``State'' has the meaning given the
term in section 103 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1003).
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