Postsecondary student aid programs administered by the United States Office of Education (USOE) have helped many thousands of students to obtain an education they may not otherwise have received; however, some schools have engaged in questionable or abusive practices that have frustrated student attainment of the desirable educational goals envisioned by the Congress in establishing these programs. To curtail these practices the American Institutes for Research (AIR) was contracted to develop and field test a data capture and dissemination system that would provide information for improved consumer protection in postsecondary education. Chapters cover: (1) regulatory and nonregulatory approaches to consumer protection, (2) the role of the AIR project, (3) consumer protection data, (4) project instruments, (5) field test data analysis, (6) development of dissemination and use strategies, and (7) limitations. (Author/KE)