By Bill DeBaun, Senior Director, Data and Strategic Initiatives
Reading time: Four minutes
Earlier this month, the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) gathered about 60 agency professionals, access practitioners, and advocates from around the country in Dallas, TX. They were there for an important conversation about how to make sure
that K-12 districts and schools have the postsecondary outcomes data they need to advise students. NCAN’s core message was clear: states must ensure timely, detailed, and accessible data reaches schools and districts to guide students effectively into post-high school pathways.
NCAN has long advocated for the improved use of data on postsecondary enrollment, persistence, and completion data in postsecondary advising (a project on that specific topic is what brought me to NCAN back in 2013). Although bright spots have emerged
across NCAN’s membership and the country in the intervening period, systematically we have too little access to too little data.
Imagine relying on weather forecasts from three months ago or student report cards from three years prior to make decisions today. The analogy is absurd and intentionally so. It underscores how challenging it is for counselors and educators who
often depend on similarly outdated data to guide students’ postsecondary decisions. NCAN member OneGoal very ably made a similar case in a recent piece in The 74.
The convening featured rich discussions on current practices and challenges. Experts like Dr. LeAnn Fong-Batkin (WestEd), Adrienne Fischer (Education Commission of the States),
and Nicholas Armit (Michigan CEPI) provided an overview of the current landscape. They highlighted that while some states have built impressive dashboards and reports, many schools and districts still struggle with data that is not actionable, timely, or sufficiently detailed.
The presentation from CEPI, which maintains the
MISchoolData was particularly helpful in illustrating the realm of the possible to attendees.
The session highlighted a theme that would repeat throughout the convening: “If we build it, they will come” is a myth. Instead, states and agencies must proactively ensure that data doesn’t just exist—it reaches those who need it most in a usable,
timely form. That includes being mindful about communications plans and outreach strategies, neither of which are always natural or obvious partners with state data systems (although they should be!).
Kimberly Hanauer, President and CEO of Unlock Education, walked attendees through how they could empower their school districts with postsecondary outcomes data, specifically that available from the National
Student Clearinghouse’s StudentTracker service. Her examples included walkthroughs of four data questions:
Do students of similar academic levels seamlessly enroll at similar rates across all high schools?
For the students who enroll at their local community college, do dual enrollers persist and graduate at a higher rate?
Do all students in our “Highly Academically Prepared” category enrollment, persist, and complete at similar levels?
We have been tracking postsecondary enrollment, which is higher than our peer schools, but want to use the NSC data to understand if they are completing.
One session, “The Human Side of Data Sharing: Relationships Matter,” drove home the critical importance of collaboration. Dr. Matt Berry (KYSTATS), Julie Sainz (Arizona Board of Regents), and Andrea Glenn (
Arizona Department of Education) shared candid stories about overcoming obstacles through relationship-building. Those relationships aren’t just from the state to the districts and schools, either.
They exist both across and within state agencies. Dr. Berry’s fervent advice was to make an agency’s legal counsel a full partner in the data sharing efforts; be transparent with them about what you’re trying to do and why and see how
they can facilitate the path to that outcome.
Angela Jubinville (Quality Information Partners) presented case studies illustrating how districts have creatively
addressed these barriers by engaging stakeholders early and building trust intentionally. QIP is also running a community of practice of state-level K12 postsecondary data users and partners
who collaborate to improve pathways for students (it’s free to join).
North Carolina’s Gina Zhang highlighted innovative county attainment profiles, demonstrating how localized data can empower districts to tailor interventions.
A lively discussion on leveraging state-level agreements with the National Student Clearinghouse provided valuable tips for states looking to maximize resources already in place.
Day two expanded the conversation, with Jon Furr (Strada Education Foundation) discussing the
Postsecondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) Coalition and CredLens, a forthcoming clearinghouse for tracking nondegree credential outcomes, both of which reminded attendees that meaningful data isn’t just for college-bound students but for all pathways.
Dr. Kate Shirley Akers of the Data Quality Campaign (DQC) and Dr. Fong-Batkin concluded the convening in a panel (moderated by DQC’s Kyle Lachman) on counsel and considerations for the field. They asked attendees to commit to pursuing one of ten state
policy recommendations related to state longitudinal data systems. This seems like a good place to highlight the excellent DQC infographic “Grace’s path to success” which is approaching its fifth birthday but is still incredibly relevant about the different data-related leverage points for students’ decision-making.
In closing, NCAN’s convening made one point emphatically clear: outdated, inaccessible data can no longer be the norm. With stronger relationships, proactive approaches, and a collective commitment, states and districts now have clearer pathways,
and clearer state-level models, of making postsecondary outcomes data a powerful tool—not just for accountability, but for meaningful incorporation into postsecondary advising that gives students a better chance of connecting with their next, best
step. Stay tuned as NCAN continues to highlight success stories from, and opportunities for, the field to expand their use of postsecondary outcomes data.
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