Expanding MSI Helps Provide Equal Support for All Military-Connected Students
March 2, 2020
Expansion of the Military Student Identifier (MSI) to include children of Reserve and National Guard members in addition to active duty service members will help military families “manage educational obstacles,” according to Collaborative for Student Success Executive Director Jim Cowen. ESSA mandated states and districts to collect and report “assessment data on military-connected students who have a parent or guardian in the active duty” Armed Forces, but did not mention children of those who serve in the Reserves or National Guard. MSI data is critical to “tailoring programs for military-connected kids” as well as “for tracking and coping with student transfers into and out of schools.” To date, only 30 states have made their MSI data publicly available.