The Lumina foundation yesterday released their initial task force report on improving quality and equity in postsecondary education, just in time for the Achieving the Dream Data & Analytics Summit. The theme of this year’s summit is Data and Analytics Through an Equity Lens. The task force report is an interesting perspective compared to the recent emphasis on defining student success primarily by time to completion and grade achievement. Some student populations require specific support and interventions to achieve their goals; this support is often unrelated to these two primary measures. Identifying and implementing these new supports has been the driving force behind Guided Pathways and other national initiatives. As noted in Inside Higher Ed’s review of Lumina’s conceptual model, there is considerable discussion about how to improve outcomes and define the data to measure. Institutions must also monitor additional considerations of prime importance to students and their families, namely cost, debt, and job prospects.

We are reviewing the task force report in detail and working with our client institutions and policy partners to support and direct emphasis in these areas. As Achieving the Dream and accreditation agencies are pressed to review their evaluation criteria, ASR is well positioned to help institutions willing to advance the diversity and equity agenda. Our Student Success Analytics solution incorporates data from internal and external sources to better understand students’ academic progress and the institution’s success in addressing affordability barriers. To learn more, visit www.asranalytics.com/industries/higher-education.