But here's what we know: district leaders need postsecondary data to improve outcomes for future classes. You can't improve what you don't measure. When you know how your alumni fare after graduation, you can:

Adjust college advising programs based on enrollment and persistence data that can help students matriculate to institutions that will give them a better chance at completion.
Compare outcomes for different student groups and address gaps in access to education and training after high school.
Partner more effectively with local higher education institutions, college access programs, or local employers to provide more meaningful support and opportunities for students.

Ask these postsecondary outcome questions

If you don't currently (and regularly) get access to postsecondary outcomes data, ask your state agency (or your peers):

Does our state have a contract with the National Student Clearinghouse or other sources of postsecondary outcomes data?
Is our district getting student-level or aggregate data? Can I see it for each of the high schools in my district?
Is the data part of a secure portal my school can access or a public-facing dashboard
Are there reports my staff can access? How do they go about doing so? Are those reports recent, relevant, and reliable relative to the questions I want answered?

If you're in North Carolina, Michigan or Minnesota, the answer might be yes. These states, in particular, are helping school leaders understand how students fare after graduation and how to use that knowledge to improve. For example:

North Carolina offers custom reports to districts and technical assistance on how to interpret them.
Michigan’s MI School Data portal combines Clearinghouse data with in-state information to create accessible reports.
Minnesota supports regional coaching networks to build district capacity to interpret and act on the data.

These states don't have a monopoly on doing this right, but they are examples their peers can look to on what to build toward.

Instant Insights /

Why district leaders need better postsecondary outcomes data

Related Stories

Recommended For You