Getting Started With Data & Tracking Your Student Results

Posted by National College Access Network on March 6, 2017

This week, NCAN and Exponent Partners released a two-part white paper series that aims to assist NCAN member organizations in becoming more data-driven. NCAN members have increasingly incorporated research, data, and evaluation into their critical work of serving low-income, first-generation students on their way to postsecondary college access and success. The white papers can be found at NCAN’s Data and Evaluation Toolkit, a useful collection of resources anchored by NCAN’s Common Measures.

http://www.collegeaccess.org/datatoolkit

The first paper in the series, written by NCAN, is titled Driving Toward Program Improvement: Principles and Practices for Getting Started With Data. Here you’ll find best practices for building a data-driven mindset, refining your logic model, adopting data management practices, building your capacity, and more. This white paper includes insights from NCAN members CollegeTracks, the SEED Foundation, the Emily Krzyzewski Center, and the Options Center at Goddard Riverside Community Center.

http://www.collegeaccess.org/images/documents/Driving-Toward-Program-Improvement-NCAN-Exponent-Partners.pdf

The second paper, written by Exponent Partners, is titled Roadmap for Tracking Your Student Results: Program Data & Systems and is perfect for member organizations looking to increase the sophistication of their data collection, management, and use. This paper includes a review of some foundational steps, frameworks for data management with a system, analysis methods, and more. This paper includes insights from NCAN members AchieveMPLS, Higher Edge, and the LA Promise Fund, and Spark.

http://www.collegeaccess.org/images/documents/Roadmap-for-Tracking-Your-Student-Results-NCAN-Exponent-Partners.pdf