At DISC, we know individuals, members of the public, policymakers, and leaders rely on comprehensive, longitudinal information for decision-making that improves and sustains outcomes for individuals and their communities. This requires collecting and integrating data across education, the workforce, social services, and other sectors. But it can be challenging to navigate the variations in state laws and supports, privacy concerns, and required knowledge of social service and labor laws.
We help public agencies overcome those challenges, supporting data integration efforts by providing comprehensive expertise and resources tailored to meet your needs from planning that includes user-centered design to system security with the latest privacy-enhancing technology.
Learn more through this introduction to the Data Integration Support Center.
Who We Are
Center Partners
WestEd is a nonpartisan, nonprofit agency that conducts and applies research, develops evidence-based solutions, and provides services and resources in the realms of education, human development, and related fields, with the end goal of improving outcomes and ensuring equity for individuals from infancy through adulthood. For more information, visit WestEd.org. For regular updates on research, free resources, solutions, and job postings from WestEd, subscribe to the E-Bulletin, our semimonthly e-newsletter, at WestEd.org/subscribe.
History
In 2021, WestEd conducted a nationwide survey of the knowledge gaps and resource needs for state challenges related to IDSs. The purpose was to determine if there was a need for a sustainable technical assistance center that could help address gaps in national offerings on state and local privacy and security issues for IDSs.
WestEd found that while many supports are available for a variety of education-specific privacy and security issues (such as EdTech), data integration needs vary by state or locality, so a “one size fits all” approach simply does not provide the resources they need. WestEd also found that the patchwork nature of federal and state privacy laws and security requirements means that few supports are available to assist with state-specific needs or to support IDS planning processes. Furthermore, integration of early childhood, workforce, justice, and social services data often requires legal expertise in social service laws and labor laws that are not readily available to public agencies.
In 2022, WestEd established the Data Integration Support Center (DISC) to address these gaps. DISC offers public agencies comprehensive and tailored assistance focused on planning and user-centered design, policy, privacy, and legal support to help agencies integrate data across sectors, including early childhood, social services, and the workforce.
Our flexible approach and knowledgeable staff help Integrated Data System teams engage decision-makers in the process of creating plans for actionable data use, navigating the variations in state laws and supports, identify privacy concerns, and provide required knowledge of social service and labor laws to support even the most difficult governance, technological, or security challenges.
Goals
Our team of experts is committed to the following:
Supporting Data
We support integrations across sectors that provide that provide a whole-person, whole-community picture, enabling more equitable outcomes.
Expanding Capacity
We accelerate data integration efforts through legal assistance and research, privacy and security expertise, and governance facilitation.
Ensuring Actionability
We support implementation of user-centered design and engage community members, ensuring transparency about which data is linked and how it can be accessed and used.
Monitoring Legislative and Regulatory Developments
We review and analyze federal, state, and local laws that impact data integration efforts.
Empowering Public Agencies
We support modernizing and aligning federal privacy laws and guidance across sectors. This allows decision-makers and leaders the independence to choose data integration paths that include social services, the workforce, and early childhood aligned to state needs.
