ResearchEd

We recently facilitated a data training workshop called “Off the Charts! Effective Strategies for Data Storytelling” for leaders of the Iowa Community College Leadership Institute (ICCLI) fellowship. It was a privilege to join their last convening and talk about effective data use strategies that can be leveraged with their own state data, the Iowa Student Outcomes Data. A #highlight from the trip was the opportunity to tour the convening’s host campus, Iowa Central Community College Campus, and receive a warm welcome from President Dr. Jesse Ulrich. Thank you, Zoë Mercedes Thornton, PhD Thorton and the rest of the ICCLI team, for inviting us to talk #data with a phenomenal group of #Iowa #communitycollege #leaders!

On Thursday, May 7th, Canvas, the learning management system used by half of all colleges in North America, experienced an apparent hack and major data breach. This week’s #ICYMI Monday article covers the details of the breach and possible implications on the #data privacy of #students, #faculty, and #institutions. 

#College #Planning #Curriculum supports students during the application process to think through all the costs and benefits of choosing and applying to college. It’s low-cost and proven to support higher education attainment. At $8 per student, it's shown promising boosts in college enrollment, persistence, and degree attainment. The study we’re reviewing focuses on the impact of college planning curriculum on low-income and high-income students, as well as on low-achieving and high-achieving students. Citation Castleman, B. L., & Goodman, J. S. (2024). College counseling in the classroom: A low-cost approach improves postsecondary planning and outcomes. Education Next, 24(1). https://buff.ly/XqqWgvd

Almost nine years ago, the #California Community College System began to overhaul its #remediation and placement with #AB705. Its primary goal was to maximize the likelihood that students would start and complete transfer-level coursework within one-year. 🔎 Recent findings 🔎show that AB 705 and AB 1705 eliminated racial/ethnic gaps in direct enrollment in transfer-level math courses. Learn more from the full report from the Public Policy Institute of California 🔗 https://buff.ly/jXsLE42

“If philanthropy wants rural insight at the table, it needs to make space at the table through remote work policies, satellite offices, and a commitment to hiring rural talent.” Get fresh insight from this The Daily Yonder thought piece that illustrates why and how #philanthropies can invest in #rural communities 🔗

Higher education is wrestling with several existential questions. Many center on how institutions expand student opportunity, choice, and success. Longitudinal student-level data is one powerful tool to begin answering this question. But data alone does not create change. The harder work is building institutional capacity to interpret patterns across roles, and translate those insights into coordinated action that expands student opportunity, choice, and success. These questions were at the center of last week’s Higher Endeavor convening in Philadelphia, where ResearchEd shared use cases for Postsecondary Data Partnership (PDP) data and demonstrated data visualization tools designed to help campuses move from analysis to action. Grateful for the opportunity to learn alongside colleagues across the field who are thinking seriously about what it will take for #HigherEd to deliver on its promise. Together, we can #catalyze #institutional #transformation to create student experiences that improve educational outcomes. See you all at the next convening!

A highly-controversial change to #federal #student #loan rules has been finalized. This week’s #ICYMI Monday article details the change and what it might mean for students and institutions of higher education. 

How can we measure success, if not by numbers? Through student voice. Listening is not enough. We know that students' own definitions are misaligned with institutional metrics. Student feedback must be intentionally sought out, incorporated as a standard practice, and, most importantly, given influence. Institutions must expand their definitions of student success beyond narrow metrics focused on programmatic & labor market outcomes. Transformative metrics must align with students' goals and capture the most important purpose of education: creating informed, curious, critical citizens. Citations -- Weatherton, M., & Schussler, E. E. (2021). Success for all? A call to re-examine how student success is defined in higher education. *CBE—Life Sciences Education, 20*(1), es3. https://buff.ly/23pa4Oi Bull, D., Johansen, A., Kaiser, D., Merritt-Myrick, S., Nybro, P., Santangelo, D., Slater, L., & Tarr, J. (2024). The effect of a belongingness strategy on online higher education student performance measures. *Cogent Education, 11*(1), 2311612. https://buff.ly/XTgVh0C

➡️ Success can’t be measured by a single metric. Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond has introduced its own success rate in the 2025 Survey of Community College Outcomes (SCCO), designed to better reflect the diverse student populations and varied educational pathways typical of #CommunityColleges. Success rates vary significantly, indicating that a "one-size-fits-all" evaluation fails to capture how community colleges adapt to serve their specific #regional #economies. 🔗 https://buff.ly/lr1JpBj

The Montana University System has expanded eligibility for its Native American tuition waiver. The policy now aligns with #tribal-defined "descendancy," grounding eligibility in political sovereignty and tribal self-determination. The move may be more strategic than the simple conclusion of years-long debates, as the policy shift offers a more legally resilient model against anti-DEI legal challenges. 🔗 https://buff.ly/Dh6Aww4