A new blog post and case study from Coleridge highlight how New Jersey has built one of the nation’s most comprehensive cross-agency data systems, allowing the state to track outcomes from K–12 education through employment.

Historically, state agencies operated in silos: education tracked graduation rates, higher education monitored enrollment, and workforce agencies managed employment data. But no single system could answer a fundamental question: Are students finding good careers?

Through the New Jersey Statewide Data System, the state now links data across K–12 education, higher education, workforce programs, and Unemployment Insurance records. NJSDS enables policymakers to follow individuals from early education into the labor market.

New Jersey’s approach offers a model for other states seeking to move beyond proxy measures like test scores and toward real indicators of success — whether students secure stable, well-paying jobs.