Charlie Lenth (clenth@sheeo.org)Vice President for Policy Analysis and

Academic Affairs State Higher Education Executive Officers

The Higher Learning Commission’s 2010

Annual MeetingChicago, IL , April 11, 2010

Connecting and Aligning the Dots – Linking and Using Data

to Build New “Education Systems”

What “dots” need connecting?

1. Across institutions, sectors, states

2. Between K-12 and higher education

3. Among states, accreditors and the federal government

4. Within student records and human capital development

5. Integrating IT throughout education

Connecting the dots across institutions, sectors and states

• Basic data and analytic structures are limited and increasingly outdated

• Practices are focused on fiscal reporting, not education needs or outcomes

• Persistent barriers to technology and system-wide operations--

institutionalism, sectorism, statism

Connecting the dots between K-12 and higher education

• Emergence of K-16/P-20 thinking and structures

• SHEEO/NCES “state of state data systems” inventory and monitoring

• Federal investments and leveraging

• SHEEO-CCSSO core data definitions

Connecting the dots across states, accreditors and the federal government

• States—Accreditors—Feds: Silos create misunderstanding, redundant reporting, inconsistent data, little transparency

• Constrained by current processes: state approvals, federal rulemaking, self-referenced self regulation

Connecting the dots between student records and human capital development

• Records—from transcripts and credentials to portfolios of lifelong learning

• Evidence—from “units” of education to evidence of skills and learning

• Understanding—from data about education to development of human capital

Integrating IT to create new “education systems”

What do we need? What can we achieve?

• Enhanced interoperability across units--

technical and substantive • More institutional transparency,

reciprocity and accountability• Usable access to multiple sources and

types of “records” and information• Education data with more relevance to

students, policy makers and the public

Questions to address as we move toward new “systems”

• How can IT/AA help meet highest priority needs and goals?

• How do we prioritize and phase-in IT/AA investments and development?

• What metrics will support improvement, progress and return on investment?

• How do we ensure education quality and protect individual privacy?