Kansas is leading an effort to create a standardized agreement and data sharing protocol with the Department of Defense (DoD) that would allow states to access accurate, secure and standardized data on military service.

Education officers from 28 additional states and two territories have joined Kansas Commissioner of Education Dr. Randy Watson in submitting a letter dated Nov. 13, 2023, to the DoD.

The letter reads: “As state leaders, we are dedicated to ensuring all students leave high school ready for success in college or careers, and we believe that serving our country is one viable pathway a student might choose to pursue.

“Unfortunately, the lack of standardized and timely data on military enlistment and persistence makes it almost impossible for states to consider military service as a successful post high school outcome and to confirm if students were successfully prepared to serve.”

The letter is addressed to the secretary of defense, deputy secretary of defense and the acting undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness.

The “proposed solution,” as it is called in the letter, is the development of a model data sharing agreement enabling any state to partner with the DoD to securely add state-specific enlistment and service data into their respective longitudinal data system.

“Allowing state education agencies to connect their data with military enlistment information would open the door for states to consider military service as a successful post high school outcome,” the letter states.