Data as a Resource – State Policymakers’ Perspectives Hans P. L’Orange

1. Data as a Resource – State Policymakers’ Perspectives Hans P. L’Orange Director, Data and Information Management State Higher Education Executive Officers April 24, 2007

2. Background – Who I am, Where I’ve Been Policy and Politics – Some Context Data, Data Everywhere Current Issues in the States and Nationally Helping Policymakers Questions and Comments

3. Who I Am Director of Data and Information Management Director of the SHEEO/NCES Network SHEEO – State Higher Education Executive Officers

4. Where I’ve Been Veterinary School: Colorado State University (CSU) COBOL Programmer: CSU Systems Analyst: CSU, SAFECO, HMSA Institutional Research: University of Colorado National Data Policy work: SHEEO

5. Who / What is SHEEO? National association of state higher education coordinating and governing boards SHEEO’s mission is to assist its members and the states in developing and sustaining excellent systems of higher education

6. SHEEO’s mission objectives: Emphasize the importance of planning and coordination for higher education by promoting effective strategic planning and statewide coordination Promote cooperative relationships with federal agencies, colleges and universities, and higher education and other associations in the collection and exchange of data and information, development of standard definitions and practices, conduct of studies, and development of higher education in the public interest

7. SHEEO’s mission objectives (continued): Formulate and recommend to public and private agencies and governments desirable guidelines for state and federal relationships to institutions of higher education Encourage studies and other action to advance statewide planning and coordination Express to the public, and their representatives in state and national legislatures, the collective opinions of state higher education officers to enhance the work of governing and/or coordinating statewide boards of higher education

8. Public Policy is: …a course of action or inaction chosen by public authorities to address a problem. …expressed in the body of laws, regulations, decisions and actions of government. Policy analysis may be used to formulate public policy and to evaluate its effectiveness.

9. "Stated most simply, public policy is the sum of government activities, whether acting directly or through agents, as it has an influence on the life of citizens". B. Guy Peters University of Pittsburgh

10. Education policy: the collection of laws or rules that govern the operation of education systems seeks to answer questions about: the purpose of education the objectives (individual and collective) that it is designed to attain the methods for attaining them the tools for measuring their success or failure

11. Higher Ed Public Policy Questions What does the public (individually and collectively) need from colleges and universities? How will the public needs change in 5 to 10 years? 10 to 20 years? How will we get there? How will we know we are there?

12. “Never has America required so many of its citizens to know so much. Never have employers sought such a broadly trained — and retrained — workforce. Never has technology transformed so rapidly and so thoroughly how Americans live and work. Never before has education after high school played such a crucial role in enabling an individual to enter the middle class. And never before has a society expected so much from its system of higher education.” The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education

13. Financing Remediation Facilities Preparation 2 year and 4 year Assessment Faculty Drop Outs BusinessInterests Economic Development Accountability

14. Data becomes increasingly important as higher education policy environment has become increasingly ……. Competitive For higher ed, systems, institutions and faculty Distributed Greater access, expectations and abilities Political Critical to states and regions Expensive

15. Functions of data in policy setting Sets the context, boundaries and conditions for decision making Establishes the “facts” before considering goals, objectives and strategies Explains “where we are” Supports tough decisions about future and how to get there

16. Data  Information  Knowledge  Policy Outside some context, dataare just meaningless points in space and time, without reference to space or time. Informationrelates to description, definition, or perspective (what, who, when, where). Knowledge comprises strategy, practice, method, or approach (how). Wisdom embodies principle, insight, moral, or archetype (why). Gene Bellinger (2004) http://www.systems-thinking.org/kmgmt/kmgmt.htm

17. April 24, 2007 Greeks enter Troy using the Trojan Horse Birth of William I of Orange United States Library of Congress established Last Northern troops leave South after Civil War First satellite relay of a television signal Winston Churchill is knighted Bob Dylan’s recording debut - $50 session fee First IBM PC is introduced Hubble Space Telescope is launched Pope Benedict XVI becomes 265th Pope

18. “Truth” Dogma Beliefs Data to policy Policy Culture Experience Preconceptions Relationships Bias Anecdotes Informed Stakeholders (Knowledge) Stakeholder Needs “Story” Facts Graphs/Tables Needs Analysis Information Analysis Data

19. Good data are: REVEALING USEFUL AVAILABLE RELEVANT TIMELY COMPREHENSIVE INTUITIVE RELIABLE AND VALID JUST ENOUGH Source: Merrill Schwartz, AGB

20. “I think, therefore I am.” René Descartes “We participate and therefore we are.” John Seely Brown

21. Data, Data Everywhere General References Measuring Up Higheredinfo.org (NCHEMS) NCES products IPEDS (Institutional Characteristics) Tools: COOL, Peer Analysis System (PAS), Executive Peer Tool, and Dataset Cutting Tool Census products (CPS, American Community Survey) Regional sites (SREB, WICHE, MHEC) SHEEO Online Access to Resources (SOAR)

22. Data, Data Everywhere Students and Learning NCES: IPEDS (GRS), sample surveys, NAEP ACT and College Board NSSE and CCSSE Faculty and Staff NCES: IPEDS (Employees By Position, Fall Staff, Salaries) American Assoc. of University Professors (AAUP) College and University Personnel Assoc. (CUPA)

23. Data, Data Everywhere Finance NCES: IPEDS, NPSAS SHEEO State Higher Education Finance (SHEF) Illinois State “Grapevine” Survey National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO) Fiscal Survey Tuition Surveys - Washington HECB, College Board NASSGAP - State Financial Aid

24. Lots of Data = Lots of Challenges How do you pick the “right” data? Are the data valid, timely, relevant, etc? Where do you find them? Do you really understand what the data “mean”? Do you know when and what to question? Are elements with the same names really comparable (e.g., enrollment, faculty)?

25. Higher Education Policy Data Needs Enhance student enrollment Maintain financial viability and affordability Operate strategically Plan realistically Allocate resources appropriately Assess management outcomes Renew accreditation Demonstrate accountability Support student success

26. We have noticed a remarkable shortage of clear, accessible information about crucial aspects of American colleges and universities, from financial aid to graduation rates. Because data systems are so limited and inadequate, it is hard for policymakers to obtain reliable information on students’ progress through the educational pipeline. This lack of useful data and accountability hinders policymakers and the public from making informed decisions and prevents higher education from demonstrating its contribution to the public good. The Spellings Commission on the Future of Higher Education. A Test of Leadership: Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2006.

27. Current Federal Activity and Alternatives HEA Reauthorization Major issues are affordability, net price, the impact of student mobility and graduation rates, and “better consumer information” IPEDS unit record (UR) proposal Alternatives to a federal UR system IPEDS 7.0 Linking state UR systems

28. Current Federal Activity and Alternatives Expand NCES sample studies National Student Clearinghouse Any solution must adequately address issues of… - Burden - Currency / timeliness - Privacy (FERPA) - Security - Relevance - Trust / accountability

29. Current State-level Initiatives K-16 Data Linkages Adequate Funding Financial Aid and Affordability Assessment of Student Learning Articulation and Transfer Competitiveness Effectiveness

30. Maximizing the Effectiveness of Data Know the Policy Know the Audience and their Needs Know the Conventions and Definitions Write Backwards Keep it Simple Omit Needless Words

31. Minimizing Mistakes in Using Data Data overload Inappropriate level of detail Lack of perspective and relevance Inattention to time (constraints, currency) Reliance on anecdote Lack of context

32. Pictures are worth a thousand words

33. Pictures are worth a thousand words U.S. Counties by Educational Needs Index Quartile Source: www.educationalneedsindex.com

34. Pictures are worth a thousand words Percent loss at each stage of transition Source: www.higheredinfo.org, from NCES, ACT Institutional Survey, and IPEDS Graduation Rate Survey

35. Pictures are worth a thousand words Adults with at Least a High School Diploma or Equivalent  Source: www.higheredinfo.org, from U.S. Census Bureau

36. Questions? Hans P. L’Orange hans@sheeo.org Thank You!