Short title

This Act may be cited as the

Understanding Student Parent Outcomes Act of 2023

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.

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.