Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records

Issuing agencies

Abstract

In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (Privacy Act), the U.S. Department of Education (Department) publishes this notice of a new system of records titled "National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE) Evaluation Studies" (18-14-49) and rescindment of the following system of records notices, as the records previously covered by those notices are now covered by the NCEE Evaluation Studies system of records: DC Choice Program Evaluation (18-13-07), Evaluation of Teacher Residency Programs (18-13-24), National Longitudinal Transitions Study 2012 (18-13-27), Evaluation of the Pell Grant Experiments Under the Experimental Sites Initiative--2012 (18-13-31), Study of Enhanced College Advising in Upward Bound (18-13-36), National Evaluation of the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy and Comprehensive Literacy State Development Programs (18-35-45), Connecting Adults to Success: Evaluation of Career Navigator Training (18-13-46), and Impact Evaluation of Training in Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Reading In Early Elementary School (18-13-48). The Department proposes this new system of records to cover records from the identified studies and future NCEE evaluation studies that fall within the categories of individuals, categories of records, purposes, routine uses, and other terms described in this notice, in order to promote efficiency across its research and evaluation functions.

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 205 (Monday, October 26, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 205 (Monday, October 26, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67304-67307]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-21804]



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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket ID ED-2026-IES-2146]


Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records

AGENCY: Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of a new system of records.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended 
(Privacy Act), the U.S. Department of Education (Department) publishes 
this notice of a new system of records titled ``National Center for 
Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE) Evaluation 
Studies'' (18-14-49) and rescindment of the following system of records 
notices, as the records previously covered by those notices are now 
covered by the NCEE Evaluation Studies system of records: DC Choice 
Program Evaluation (18-13-07), Evaluation of Teacher Residency Programs 
(18-13-24), National Longitudinal Transitions Study 2012 (18-13-27), 
Evaluation of the Pell Grant Experiments Under the Experimental Sites 
Initiative--2012 (18-13-31), Study of Enhanced College Advising in 
Upward Bound (18-13-36), National Evaluation of the Striving Readers 
Comprehensive Literacy and Comprehensive Literacy State Development 
Programs (18-35-45), Connecting Adults to Success: Evaluation of Career 
Navigator Training (18-13-46), and Impact Evaluation of Training in 
Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Reading In Early Elementary School 
(18-13-48). The Department proposes this new system of records to cover 
records from the identified studies and future NCEE evaluation studies 
that fall within the categories of individuals, categories of records, 
purposes, routine uses, and other terms described in this notice, in 
order to promote efficiency across its research and evaluation 
functions.

DATES: Submit your comments on this notice of a new system of records 
on or before November 25, 2026. This new system of records will become 
applicable upon publication in the Federal Register on October 26, 
2026, unless it needs to be changed as a result of public comment. The 
routine uses outlined in the section titled ``ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS 
MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES OF USERS AND PURPOSES OF 
SUCH USES'' will become effective on the expiration of the 30-day 
period of public comment on November 25, 2026, unless they need to be 
changed as a result of public comment. The Department will publish any 
significant changes to the system of records or routine uses resulting 
from public comment.

ADDRESSES: Comments must be submitted via the Federal eRulemaking 
Portal at <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a>. However, if you require an accommodation or 
cannot otherwise submit your comments via <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a>, please 
contact the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT. The Department will not accept comments submitted by fax or by 
email, or comments submitted after the comment period closes. To ensure 
that the Department does not receive duplicate copies, please submit 
your comments only once. In addition, please include the Docket ID at 
the top of your comments.
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> to submit 
your comments electronically. Information on using Regulations.gov, 
including instructions for accessing agency documents, submitting 
comments, and viewing the docket, is available on the site under 
``FAQ''.
    Privacy Note: The Department's policy is to make all comments 
received from members of the public available for public viewing in 
their entirety on the Federal eRulemaking Portal at 
<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>. Therefore, commenters should be careful to include 
in their comments only information that they wish to make publicly 
available.
    Assistance to Individuals with Disabilities in Reviewing the 
Rulemaking Record: On request, we will provide an appropriate 
accommodation or auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability who 
needs assistance to review the comments or other documents in the 
public rulemaking record for this notice. If you want to schedule an 
appointment for this type of accommodation or auxiliary aid, please 
contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matthew Soldner, Institute of 
Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue 
SW, Washington, DC 20202. Telephone: 202-453-7441. Email: 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#21624e4f554042550f6864726144450f464e57"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6b2804051f0a081f45222e382b0e0f450c041d">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>.
    If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability and 
wish to access telecommunications relay services, please dial 7-1-1.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NCEE conducts large-scale evaluations of 
education programs in accordance with the Education Sciences Reform Act 
(20 U.S.C. 9501 et seq.) and other applicable laws, supports applied 
research studies related to questions of education policy and practice, 
provides technical assistance, and supports the development and use of 
research and evaluation findings throughout the United States. This 
system of records is used to fulfill NCEE's legislative mandate to 
conduct research and evaluation activities related to education policy, 
programs, and practices and to support the wide dissemination of the 
results of evaluation, research, and products developed to stakeholders 
such as policymakers, practitioners, and researchers. By law, NCEE 
research, evaluations, and data projects must be timely, objective, and 
non-ideological; free of political influence and bias; and relevant and 
useful to practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and the public.
    Accessible Format: On request to the program contact person listed 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, individuals with disabilities 
can obtain this document in an accessible format. The Department will 
provide the requestor with an accessible format that may include Rich 
Text Format (RTF) or text format (txt), a thumb drive, an MP3 file, 
braille, large print, audiotape, compact disc, or other accessible 
format.
    Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this 
document is the document published in the Federal Register. You may 
access the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of 
Federal Regulations at <a href="http://www.govinfo.gov">www.govinfo.gov</a>. At this site you can view this 
document, as well as all other documents of this Department published 
in the Federal Register, in text or Portable Document Format (PDF). To 
use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at 
the site.
    You may also access documents of the Department published in the 
Federal Register by using the article search feature at 
<a href="http://www.federalregister.gov">www.federalregister.gov</a>. Specifically, through the advanced search 
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published 
by the Department.

Matthew Soldner,
Acting Director, Institute of Education Sciences.
    For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the Acting Director of 
the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of Education 
(Department), publishes a new system of records notice to read as 
follows:

[[Page 67305]]

SYSTEM NAME AND NUMBER:
    National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance 
Evaluation Studies (18-14-49).

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION:
    Unclassified.

SYSTEM LOCATION(S):
    National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, 
Institute of Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of Education, 
400 Maryland Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20202.
    A current list of contractor sites where system records are 
maintained is available from the System Manager and at <a href="https://ies.ed.gov/about">https://ies.ed.gov/about</a>.

SYSTEM MANAGER(S):
    Commissioner, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional 
Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20202.

AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:
    This system of records is authorized under sections 171, 173 and 
174 of the Education Sciences Reform Act (Pub. L. 107-279), codified at 
20 U.S.C. 9561, 9563, and 9564. The collection of Social Security 
numbers, where necessary for a particular study, is authorized under 
Executive Order 9397 (November 22, 1943) as amended by Executive Order 
13478 (November 18, 2008).

PURPOSE(S) OF THE SYSTEM:
    The records in this system are used for the purpose of conducting 
research, evaluation, and data analytic projects commissioned by the 
National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance. Each 
project may involve: (a) the analysis of data from various sources; (b) 
the collection of data through assessments, surveys, interviews, focus 
groups, and other methods; (c) the evaluation of programs and services; 
(d) the provision of services to populations and evaluating their 
outcomes; (e) the provision of technical assistance to outside 
entities; and (f) other research, evaluation, and data related 
activities within NCEE's statutory authority.
    This work may be supported or accomplished by Federal staff or by 
contractors, vendors, grantees and other partners working on behalf of 
NCEE.
    A current list of studies covered under this system of records 
notice is available from the System Manager and at <a href="https://ies.ed.gov/about">https://ies.ed.gov/about</a>.

CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:
    The system will include records about the following categories of 
individuals: (a) individuals who are considered for inclusion or are 
included in an NCEE study (e.g., State, district, and school staff and 
other individuals who are involved with the administration of programs 
and strategies under study such as staff at institutes of higher 
education and adult education centers; individuals and families who 
participate in or may benefit from programs and strategies under 
study); (b) individuals who provide information about those considered 
or selected for an NCEE study (e.g., state officials, school or grantee 
staff); and (c) individuals whose information is contained within an 
extant dataset needed to conduct an NCEE study (e.g., educators, 
students, grantee staff). This includes administrative datasets created 
by offices, agencies, or organizations outside of NCEE when those 
datasets are necessary for an NCEE study.

CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
    The records maintained about a specific individual will depend on 
which NCEE study the individual was considered for or included in and 
the individual's role in the study. As relevant and necessary for a 
particular NCEE study, the system may include the individual's 
personally identifiable information (i.e., name, address(es), telephone 
number(s), email address(es), Social Security number); date of birth; 
sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., race, ethnicity, gender); 
language preferences and proficiencies; responses to assessments and 
collections (e.g., surveys and interviews); voice and video recordings 
and transcripts; correspondences; identifiers specific to the 
applicable study or series of studies in which the individual is 
involved; and administrative records (e.g., participation in courses or 
programs, attendance). As relevant and necessary for a particular NCEE 
study, it may also collect records about an individual's current and 
prior education; employment; current and previous addresses; mental and 
physical health and well-being; involvement with the criminal justice 
system; behaviors that increase the risk of harm to educational and 
other outcomes (e.g., illicit drug use); household structure and 
dynamics (e.g., marriage, relationships); disabilities; social service 
and benefit use; other characteristics; experiences relevant to Federal 
education programs or strategies related to such programs; perceptions 
relevant to Federal education programs and strategies.

RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES:
    The sources of records in the system may include, as relevant to a 
particular study: the record subject; the Department; other 
governmental agencies (e.g., Federal, state, tribal, and local) and 
their agents; NCEE contractors and subcontractors; research 
institutions, foundations, and similar organizations; publicly 
available documents and data sets; commercial sources; individuals who 
know the record subject (e.g., relatives, district staff, school and 
postsecondary institution staff, and service providers) and other third 
parties such as vendors and the National Student Clearinghouse.

ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES 
OF USERS AND THE PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:
    The Department may disclose information contained in a record in 
this system of records under the routine uses listed in this system of 
records notice without the consent of the individual if the disclosure 
is compatible with the purposes for which the record was collected. The 
Department may make these disclosures on a case-by-case basis or, if 
the Department has complied with the computer matching requirements of 
the Privacy Act of 1974, pursuant to a computer matching agreement. Any 
disclosure of personally identifiable information from a record in this 
system must also comply with the requirements of section 183 of ESRA 
(20 U.S.C. 9573) providing for confidentiality standards that apply to 
all collections, reporting, and publication of data by IES. Any 
disclosure of personally identifiable information from student 
education records that were obtained from schools, school districts, 
postsecondary institutions, and other sources must also comply with the 
requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 
(20 U.S.C. 1417(c); 34 CFR 300.610-300.611, 300.613-300.623, and 
300.625-300.627), the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) 
(20 U.S.C. 1232g; 34 CFR part 99), and, where applicable, the 
Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) (20 U.S.C. 1232h; 34 CFR 
part 98), which protect the privacy of student education records.
    (1) Contract Disclosure. If the Department contracts with an entity 
for the purposes of performing any function that requires disclosure of 
records in this system to employees of the contractor or its 
subcontractors or consultants, as applicable, the Department may 
disclose the records to those employees. As part of such a contract, 
the Department will require

[[Page 67306]]

the contractor and any subcontractors or consultants, if applicable, to 
agree to maintain safeguards to protect the security and 
confidentiality of the records in the system and to comply with 
applicable Privacy Act requirements under 5 U.S.C. 552a(m).
    (2) Research Disclosure. The Department may disclose records to a 
researcher if the Department determines that the individual or 
organization to which the disclosure would be made is qualified to 
carry out specific research related to the functions or purposes of 
this system of records. The researcher must agree to safeguards and use 
restrictions, consistent with section 183(c) of the ESRA (20 U.S.C. 
9573(c)), to protect the security and confidentiality of the records 
disclosed from this system. When personally identifiable information 
from a student's education record will be disclosed to the researcher, 
under FERPA (20 U.S.C. 1232g(b) and 34 CFR 99.31), the researcher also 
must agree to comply with applicable FERPA requirements.
    (3) Obtaining Participants' Academic, Employment, Financial, and 
Benefits Records. The Department may disclose information from this 
system of records to Federal, State and local agencies as well as other 
organizations (e.g., the National Student Clearinghouse, high school 
equivalency test vendors) to obtain participants' academic, employment, 
financial, or benefits records.
    (4) Participant Identification Disclosure. The Department may 
disclose information from this system to staff at sites participating 
in a study for purposes consistent with the conduct of the study. For 
instance, the Department may disclose information that is necessary for 
sites to provide education records linked to study participants or to 
provide services that are part of the study.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORAGE OF RECORDS:
    Electronic records are stored in databases on IES' or its 
contractors' or subcontractors' secure servers.
    Records stored in paper copy are stored in secure areas within 
locked drawers or cabinets.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETRIEVAL OF RECORDS:
    Records in this system are indexed and retrieved by a unique 
number, name, or other identifying particular assigned to or associated 
with each individual that can be cross-referenced when needed with the 
separately stored direct personal identifiers.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETENTION AND DISPOSAL OF RECORDS:
    The Department has submitted a retention and disposition schedule 
that is intended to cover the records contained in this system to the 
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) for review. Pending 
NARA approval, the records will be treated as unscheduled records and 
will not be destroyed except as authorized by NARA.

ADMINISTRATIVE, TECHNICAL, AND PHYSICAL SAFEGUARDS:
    Department and its contractors and subcontractors are required to 
maintain appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards 
to protect the records from unauthorized access. Administrative 
controls include training individuals who have access to the records on 
how to handle them appropriately, incident response plans, and limiting 
access to individuals who need to know the information. Technical 
controls include the use of antivirus software, vulnerability patching, 
and multi-factor authentication when required. Physical controls 
include storing hard copy records and computer systems used to access 
electronic records in physically locked locations when not in use.
    Department, contractor, and subcontractor employees who collect or 
maintain data in this system shall comply with the requirements of the 
confidentiality standards in section 183 of the ESRA (20 U.S.C. 9573).

RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURES:
    If you wish to gain access to a record that exists regarding you in 
this system, contact the system manager at the address listed above. 
Your request must provide necessary particulars such as the study in 
question, your full name, current address, the date and place of your 
birth, and any other identifying information requested by the 
Department while processing the request to distinguish between 
individuals with the same name. Your request must meet the requirements 
in 34 CFR 5b.5, including proof of identity.

CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURES:
    If you wish to contest the content of a record regarding you, you 
must contact the system manager at the address listed above. Requests 
must contain your full name, address, and telephone number. Your 
request must meet the requirements of the regulations at 34 CFR 5b.7.

NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES:
    If you wish to determine whether a record exists regarding you in 
this system of records, you must contact the system manager at the 
address listed above. Your request must provide necessary particulars 
such as the study in question, your full name, current address, the 
date and place of your birth, and any other identifying information 
requested by the Department, while processing the request, to 
distinguish between individuals with the same name. Your request must 
meet the requirements in 34 CFR 5b.5, including proof of identity.

EXEMPTIONS PROMULGATED FOR THE SYSTEM:
    None.

HISTORY:
    None.
    For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the Acting Director of 
the Institute of Education Sciences at the Department publishes a 
rescindment of the following system of records notices: DC Choice 
Program Evaluation (18-13-07), Evaluation of Teacher Residency Programs 
(18-13-24), National Longitudinal Transitions Study 2012 (18-13-27), 
Evaluation of the Pell Grant Experiments Under the Experimental Sites 
Initiative--2012 (18-13-31), Study of Enhanced College Advising in 
Upward Bound (18-13-36), National Evaluation of the Striving Readers 
Comprehensive Literacy and Comprehensive Literacy State Development 
Programs (18-35-45), Connecting Adults to Success: Evaluation of Career 
Navigator Training (18-13-46), and Impact Evaluation of Training in 
Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Reading In Early Elementary School 
(18-13-48). The records previously covered by these notices will be 
maintained as part of the National Center for Education Evaluation and 
Regional Assistance Evaluation Studies system of records (18-14-49) and 
will be retained and disposed of in accordance with the retention 
schedule applicable to that system.

SYSTEM NAME AND NUMBER:
    ``DC Choice Program Evaluation'' (18-13-07),
    ``Evaluation of Teacher Residency Programs'' (18-13-24),
    ``National Longitudinal Transitions Study 2012'' (18-13-27),
    ``Evaluation of the Pell Grant Experiments Under the Experimental 
Sites Initiative--2012'' (18-13-31),
    ``Study of Enhanced College Advising in Upward Bound'' (18-13-36),
    ``National Evaluation of the Striving Readers Comprehensive 
Literacy and Comprehensive Literacy State Development Programs'' (18-
35-45),

[[Page 67307]]

    ``Connecting Adults to Success: Evaluation of Career Navigator 
Training'' (18-13-46),
    ``Impact Evaluation of Training in Multi-Tiered Systems of Support 
for Reading in Early Elementary School'' (18-13-48)

HISTORY:
    The ``DC Choice Program Evaluation'' (18-13-07) system of records 
notice was published in full in the Federal Register at 69 FR 22014 
(April 23, 2004).
    The ``Evaluation of Teacher Residency Programs'' (18-13-24) system 
of records notice was published in full in the Federal Register at 76 
FR 18741 (April 5, 2011).
    The ``National Longitudinal Transitions Study 2012'' (18-13-27) 
system of records notice was published in full in the Federal Register 
at 77 FR 25152 (April 27, 2012).
    The ``Evaluation of the Pell Grant Experiments Under the 
Experimental Sites Initiative--2012'' (18-13-31) system of records 
notice was published in full in the Federal Register at 78 FR 1206 
(January 8, 2013).
    The ``Study of Enhanced College Advising in Upward Bound'' (18-13-
36) system of records notice was published in full in the Federal 
Register at 79 FR 54971 (September 15, 2014).
    The ``National Evaluation of the Striving Readers Comprehensive 
Literacy and Comprehensive Literacy State Development Programs'' (18-
35-45) system of records notice was published in full in the Federal 
Register at 85 FR 45206 (July 27, 2020).
    The ``Connecting Adults to Success: Evaluation of Career Navigator 
Training'' (18-13-46) system of records notice was published in full in 
the Federal Register at 88 FR 72446 (October 20, 2023).
    The ``Impact Evaluation of Training in Multi-Tiered Systems of 
Support for Reading in Early Elementary School'' (18-13-48) system of 
records notice was published in full in the Federal Register at 89 FR 
82594 (October 11, 2024).

[FR Doc. 2026-21804 Filed 10-23-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P


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