State Data Systems and Community Colleges

By MB -
A new policy brief from The Working Poor Families Project (WPFP), "Building and Strengthening State Data Systems to Measure Community College and Workforce Outcomes," shows the benefits and challenges to creating a state data system that follows students through their K-12 education into post-secondary degrees, certificates, other adult education, and into the work world. Using this data, states can determine the programs that best meet the needs of both employers and potential employees. Yet, as the report shows, many states have not incorporated data systems into their educational programs.

The report cites four common reasons for the lack of state data systems:
  • Leadership and management: Creating a strong system requires leadership and commitment from throughout agencies and educational institutions
  • Privacy laws and data-sharing agreements: Institutions must clearly show that their work will "improve instruction" in order to fit under federal law regarding student privacy. Data must be also trackable across agencies, which can result in a "tedious legal process."
  • Missing data and links to wage records: Many states have missing or incomplete data on nontraditional community college students as well as those that participate in other skills development systems. Even when data is available, it does not always link to wage and other achievement-related information.
  • Creating a culture of using data for continuous improvement: Finally, the report notes that for data systems to function well, they should provide information that can "inform and empower" educators as well as advocates and policy makers.
Strong data systems in several states are noted in the report, as well as recommendations and policy action steps for states.

How does Pennsylvania fare when looking at these recommendations? Pennsylvania has developed a student identification system and will begin calculating graduation results starting with the high school class of 2010. In 2008, the Commonwealth won the 2008 Leadership Award from the Data Quality Campaign for implementation of the statewide Pennsylvania Information Management System, which assigned unique identification numbers to students. Pennsylvania is currently applying for a federal grant to help make the connection between wage data and its existing system.

Interested in learning more about Pennsylvania and community colleges? Take a look at our reports in the sidebar, and watch for a new report coming early next year!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Overlooked and Undercounted: Struggling to Make Ends Meet in Pennsylvania

By -
Image
Census data tells us that 13% of Pennsylvania households live in poverty. In reality, even more households don’t have the income they need to reach self-sufficiency. One in four Pennsylvania households – over 846,000 – lack enough income to cover just the necessities. Since 1997, PathWays PA has worked with Dr. Diana Pearce and the University of Washington to calculate  The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Pennsylvania . Over the last 23 years,  The Self-Sufficiency Standard of Pennsylvania  has documented the continuing increase in the real cost of living, illuminating the economic crunch experienced by so many families today. Since 2010, PathWays PA and the University of Washington have also issued three versions of the  Overlooked and Undercounted  report, which looks at the number of households living above and below self-sufficiency. You can now use the interactive materials below to find out what it takes to be self-sufficient in your county. Click here  to read the 2020 O
Read more

Mini-Budget Update-Supporting the American Community Survey

By MB -
Image
(via The Census Project ) Next Tuesday, June 19 is an important date to mark on your calendar. The Congressional Joint Economic Committee is holding a public hearing on the economic impact of eliminating the American Community Survey (ACS) at 2:30 p.m., in Room 210 of the Canon House Office Building. Witnesses that will be speaking in opposition to the move to eliminate the ACS are Vincent Barabba, former director of the Census Bureau in two GOP administrations and Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Association of General Contractors and also representing the National Association of Business Economists. It is very important that we pack the congressional hearing room! If you cannot come, please urge your colleages to come. If you represent a non-DC organization contact your friends in Washington and urge them to attend. Also on Tuesday of next week some of our congressional supporters will be holding a noon press conference in the so-called House Triangle right outside the Cap
Read more

Overlooked and Undercounted in the Media (#media)

By MB -
Image
Below are all of the places we've seen Overlooked and Undercounted in the month of May! If you know of anywhere else, please let us know! You can also listen to the audio from our May 11 Conference Call on our website . May 21, 2009 - New Report Says 1 in 5 PA Families Live in Poverty May 21, 2009 - LTE: Clarifying ‘Overlooked And Undercounted’ Study May 19, 2009 - Caught in a trap: State and federal governments must help working poor May 16, 2009 - Study: Local poverty estimates too conservative May 15, 2009 - Study: Pa. Families Above Poverty Level, But Still Struggling May 12, 2009 - Study: 1 in 5 PA Families Struggling to Make Ends Meet May 12, 2009 - Report: Many PA families struggling May 12, 2009 - PathWays PA Releases New Report on Self-Sufficiency Standard May 12, 2009 - Poverty worse in PA than reported: study May 11, 2009 - 1 in 5 PA Households Can't Make Ends Meet May 11, 2009 - Study: 1 in 5 PA residents can't make ends meet May 11, 2009 - 1 in
Read more