NCES Opens Public Comment on Redesign of Its Data Collections, Including IPEDS

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is asking the public how it should redesign its portfolio of studies—the administrative data collections and sample surveys that include the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)—through a Request for Information (RFI) published October 29, 2026, in the Federal Register, with comments due December 3.

The notice, signed by Acting Commissioner Matthew Soldner, says NCES wants a framework to guide the redesign, align its work more closely with state and local needs, speed the production of high-quality data, and widen their use by educators and policymakers. It names no specific study, referring generally to cross-sectional and longitudinal sample surveys and to administrative collections.

NCES poses seven questions, among them what data states, districts, educators, and families most need now; which collection and dissemination methods best balance value against cost; and what partnerships across federal, state, local, and industry lines are required. It also asks how collection and dissemination might be optimized for “Super Intelligence (SI)” applications—which the notice says were “formerly called AI”—and seeks input on balancing respondent burden against benefit as response rates decline, and on reconciling its detailed data products with its timeliness goals.

The RFI is an early, pre-decisional step rather than a proposed rule. Comments go through regulations.gov; the notice grounds the effort in the Institute of Education Sciences’ statutory authorities at 20 U.S.C. 9511 and 9543.