Data as the Critical Driver of College Access and Success Partnerships

Abstract

Summary

Over the past 15 years, the majority of college access and success efforts have focused on discrete programming. While this fragmented approach has helped some students, it has failed to help many others, particularly those traditionally underrepresented. Leaders in the college access field have recognized the need for fundamental changes that will take us from the current patchwork of college programs to a coordinated system linking students to comprehensive services within a supportive policy environment. Partnerships are one vehicle for improved alignment, and the use of data is key in formalizing and focusing these partnerships.

In our research, data collection and analysis have emerged as the strongest mobilizing factors in building college access and success partnerships. In community after community, the very act of collecting data and then investigating shared findings has brought stakeholders together, and provided common, concrete goals that lay the groundwork for joint action. The examples in this article draw largely from the evaluation of the Lumina Foundation for Education’s Partnerships for College Access and Success Initiative, which supported eight grantee organizations across the United States to build multi-stakeholder partnerships as vehicles to improve institutional policies and alignment of programs with student supports in their communities.