STRONG FOUNDATIONS 2016

Christina Whitfield – Associate Vice PresidentJohn Armstrong – Policy Analyst

To our Data Providers:

STATE HIGHER EDUCATION EXECUTIVE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

STATE HIGHER EDUCATION EXECUTIVE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

STATE HIGHER EDUCATION EXECUTIVE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

2010 Original Report

• Research Question What are the characteristics and uses of state-level postsecondary student unit record systems (SURS)?

• KEY FINDINGS– A growing number of agencies (19) were collecting data

from independent (private, not-for-profit) institutions.– Social Security Number was the primary ID used in most

agencies.– Agencies challenged by managing external data requests

and developing interfaces for public access to SUR data.

2012 Update

STATE HIGHER EDUCATION EXECUTIVE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

• Focused on Data Sharing Practices • KEY FINDINGS– Data sharing between agencies grew rapidly from

2010 to 2012, either through P-20 data warehouses or federated models

– 28 postsecondary agencies had access to K-12 and workforce data elements

Purpose of 2016 Report

• What data are collected by higher education agencies?

• More importantly, how are these data used to inform policy?

STATE HIGHER EDUCATION EXECUTIVE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

2016 Report – Exemplar States

Arkansas – Privacy and securityMassachusetts – K-12 connections North Carolina – Teacher preparationSouth Dakota – Data visualizationTennessee – Performance fundingTexas – Strategic planningWashington – Workforce connections

STATE HIGHER EDUCATION EXECUTIVE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

STATE HIGHER EDUCATION EXECUTIVE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

STATE HIGHER EDUCATION EXECUTIVE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

FINDINGS - General Uses of SURSs

Generating reports and statistics (internal and external) 56/58

Decision / policymaking 54/58

Research 53/58

Cross-sector collaboration (K12, labor, etc.) 51/58

Consumer information 43/58

External Reporting (Complete College America, Achieving the Dream, SREB, etc.) 39/58

STATE HIGHER EDUCATION EXECUTIVE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

FINDINGS - Institutional Coverage

State

2-Year Public

4-Year Public

Independent

Proprietary

Tribal

Other

Total number of elements

MN, WA • • • • • 5

NJ, OH • • • • • 5

AR, SC • • • • 4

MA, TN, TX • • • • 4

NM • • • • 4

AL, CO, CT • • • 3

FL • • • 3

IL • • • 3

KY, MD, OK, VA • • • 3

AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, IN, KS, LA, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NY, NC, ND, RI, UT, VT, WV, WI, WY

• • •

3

PA • • 2

GA, ME, MS, OR, SD • 1

FINDINGS – K-12 Linkages

STATE HIGHER EDUCATION EXECUTIVE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

FINDINGS – Workforce Linkages

STATE HIGHER EDUCATION EXECUTIVE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

Warehouse vs. Federated Model

• 28 states confirmed the presence of a P20W warehouse in their state.

• Some states without a “warehouse” still combine data sets from across sectors via a federated model.

STATE HIGHER EDUCATION EXECUTIVE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

FINDINGS – K-12 and Workforce

STATE HIGHER EDUCATION EXECUTIVE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

FINDINGS – Early Childhood

STATE HIGHER EDUCATION EXECUTIVE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

FINDINGS – Overall Linkages

STATE HIGHER EDUCATION EXECUTIVE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

Linkages 2010 2012 2016

K-12 20 36 45

Workforce 23 27 44

FINDINGS – Financial Aid Data

• Most agencies collect dependency status, family income and a variety of financial aid categories (merit, need, state, federal, institutional…)

• Fewer agencies have access to cumulative debt (9), net price (7), and loan repayment status (2).

STATE HIGHER EDUCATION EXECUTIVE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

EFFECTIVE USE CASE – Performance Funding

• 26 agencies use a performance formula. 20 use their SURS to support this effort.

• Tennessee was one of the first states to adopt 100% performance funding:– Differentiated by sector/institution– Multiple measures of student success– Multiple years of data– Weight for selected subpopulations

STATE HIGHER EDUCATION EXECUTIVE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

EFFECTIVE USE CASE – Workforce Data

• 39 agencies link SURS data to workforce data• Most frequently-available data elements:

– Quarter of employment– Wages– NAICS code

• Rare/high value data elements:– Hours worked (8 agencies)– SOC codes (5 agencies)

• California Community Colleges “College Wage Tracker”

• Washington Earnings Report and Dashboard

STATE HIGHER EDUCATION EXECUTIVE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

EFFECTIVE USE CASE - Remediation

• 40 SURs in 35 states collect remedial or developmental education information

• Minnesota – “Getting Prepared” • West Virginia – Link to Master Plan• Survey respondents also mention data on

college readiness indicators used to flag which students require remediation

STATE HIGHER EDUCATION EXECUTIVE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

STATE HIGHER EDUCATION EXECUTIVE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

EFFECTIVE USE CASE – Teacher Effectiveness

• Only 3 respondents indicated that they used their SUR to evaluate teacher effectiveness.

• NORTH CAROLINA –Ed Prep Dashboards• TENNESSEE – Report Card

• Many efforts in states to better determine teacher effectiveness are happening at SEAs.

STATE HIGHER EDUCATION EXECUTIVE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

THREE NECESSARY CONDITIONS FOR EFFECTIVE USE

• Ensure privacy and security:– FERPA– Data governance– Limit access to PII– Role-based access– IT Security– Data usage protocols

STATE HIGHER EDUCATION EXECUTIVE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

THREE NECESSARY CONDITIONS FOR EFFECTIVE USE

• Address perceived barriers:– Resources– FERPA (?)– Data quality/data integration– “I don't believe we have any barriers, we have

challenges . . .”

STATE HIGHER EDUCATION EXECUTIVE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

THREE NECESSARY CONDITIONS FOR EFFECTIVE USE

• Promote sustainability:– Technology– Funding– Relationship with governance entities– Data quality/data structures

STATE HIGHER EDUCATION EXECUTIVE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

VALUE OF SURS

• Efficient reporting and consistent information• Analyses of student success• Informed policy development

STATE HIGHER EDUCATION EXECUTIVE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

VALUE OF SURS

• “It would be difficult to overstate the advantages of a unified data system like ours.”

• “The greatest value has been in providing information to policymakers on all aspects of higher education.”

• “Our SURS has helped our state transition from anecdotal decision-making to more fact-based, data-driven decision-making.”

STATE HIGHER EDUCATION EXECUTIVE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Tie SUR data to Strategic Planning

• Engage agency leadership in SUR projects

• Address privacy concerns head on

• Others?

STATE HIGHER EDUCATION EXECUTIVE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

STATE HIGHER EDUCATION EXECUTIVE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

STATE HIGHER EDUCATION EXECUTIVE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

Christina Whitfield is Director of Research and Policy Analysis at the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS). She leads planning, accountability, and institutional research processes for Kentucky’s 16 public-2-year institutions. Her responsibilities at KCTCS include fulfilling federal and state reporting requirements, monitoring progress toward strategic plan goals, and overseeing development of the KCTCS enterprise data warehouse. Prior to joining KCTCS in 2004, Christina served as Senior Associate for Research and Associate for Academic Affairs at the Kentucky Cuuncil on Postsecondary Education, and as a policy consultant for the Kentucky School Boards Association. Christina earned her B.A. at the Unviersity of Kentucky and her master’s degree and Ph.D. in history at the University of Minnesota.

Breakout DiscussionShare with your group:• How has your SURS added the most value to your state?• What factors made that success possible?

Report Out:• 3-5 conditions necessary to promote effective use of SURS

Group Assignments:Red: Learning Center Yellow: LobbyGreen: Mingle Orange: Room 200

STATE HIGHER EDUCATION EXECUTIVE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION