Ad Hoc Committee on Data and Policy Thursday, August 16, 2018 1:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. SCHEV Conference Room James Monroe Building, 9 th Floor 101 N. 14 th Street Richmond, VA 23219 1:00-1:05 Call to order, welcome, introductions 1:05 1:10 Approval of June 19, 2018, minutes 1:10 2:00 Discussion and prioritization of near- and long-term questions Ms. Pam Currey 2:00 2:15 Review of Proposed Web Pages Mr. Tod Massa 2:15 2:35 Discussion of Communications Strategies Ms. Wendy Kang and Ms. Laura Osberger 2:35 2:50 Discussion of Resource Requirements Mr. Peter Blake 2:50 3:00 Wrap Up Committee Members Ken Ampy Marge Connelly Stephen Moret Tom Slater Notes: Materials accompanying this agenda are intended for consideration of the Ad Hoc Committee on Data and Policy at this meeting (dated above), and may not reflect final Committee action. For a final version of any item contained in these material, please visit the SCHEV website at http://www.schev.edu/index/agencyinfo/council-information/agenda-books. STATE COUNCIL OF HIGHER EDUCATION FOR VIRGINIA
STATE COUNCIL OF HIGHER EDUCATION FOR VIRGINIA AD HOC COMMITTEE ON DATA AND POLICY JUNE 19, 2018 MINUTES Mr. Slater called the meeting to order at 1:07 p.m. in the SCHEV 9 th floor conference room, 101 N. 14 th Street, Richmond, Virginia. Committee members present: Marge Connelly and Thomas Slater. Council member Katharine Webb also was present. Committee members absent: Ken Ampy, Stephen Moret. Staff members present: Peter Blake, Pamela Currey, Wendy Kang, Tod Massa, Marina Moschos, Laura Osberger, Lee Ann Rung and Tyler Williams. Also in attendance was Phil Leone, Virginia Tech Special Projects Liaison. SUMMARY OF STRENGTHS AND GAPS Ms. Moschos reviewed the results of the survey and influencer interviews conducted to learn the strengths and gaps of the way SCHEV currently provides data. She indicated that stakeholders and influencers both agreed that the data available are objective and relevant, but particularly the influencers noted the need to provide front doors to the data that would allow the data to be used more easily in policy decision making. Mr. Slater thanked staff for the summary. He asked if anyone had comments. Mr. Leone noted the graphic provided by the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP) that members agreed provided data in a user-friendly way. Mr. Massa discussed some of the ways data are provided in the SCHEV research website. Ms. Connelly noted that the members want staff to provide information on how SCHEV could answer the questions noted in the survey and influencer interviews. Specifically, they directed staff to propose approaches to two or three questions as a start. Mr. Slater asked staff to prepare answers to big questions and create representations that respond to the questions. Ms. Webb said she is looking for data representations in order to guide policy decisions. Mr. Massa noted the dashboard he previewed at the last Committee meeting provided some of this information. Committee members said they also would like to have a communications plan associated with the dashboard and other data resources. DISCUSSION OF ROLE, VALUES, AUDIENCES AND PRIORITIES Mr. Massa and Ms. Kang moved into a discussion of the role, values, audiences and priorities for SCHEV data. Ms. Webb thanked them for the review of the audiences that SCHEV data historically has served. Mr. Slater said our audience also should include students and parents. Ms. Kang updated the members on the work being done to develop a finance plan for the Virginia plan which will include some data points of interest to members.
Ms. Kang noted the different ways we are working to disseminate information. She said we have a need to improve our visualizations and our communications through partnerships. She gave the example of the financial literacy required for Pre-K-12 students, and that it doesn t include anything on post-secondary options and success. Ms. Connelly summed up the audiences for SCHEV data as: technical policy users, non-technical policy users, and everyone else, which includes people trying to learn the best route to post-secondary education. She asked staff to develop a plan to provide the information most commonly requested by the various audiences. Ms. Kang noted the proposed priority areas, starting with improving the presentation of existing data and reports to better inform our audiences. She introduced Laura Osberger to the Committee. Ms. Osberger will work with the Committee to help develop better communication of the data. Mr. Slater mentioned the presentations made by Mr. Williams at the last meeting. He said he liked the way Minnesota and Colorado presented content through interactive data visualizations that allow a user to pick a topic of interest and gain insight by filtering the data to a certain view. He emphasized that he doesn t think Virginia needs to reinvent the wheel in the presentation of accessible data. Mr. Slater brought the discussion back to the need to identify the half-dozen things we want to be able to answer and how we could provide the answers in the most accessible way possible. As an example of what is already available in Virginia, Ms. Kang walked the Committee through the Virginia Wizard, hosted by the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). Members were impressed with the amount of data available in the Wizard site and the relative ease of use to get to individual answers. Committee members discussed what data displays SCHEV should create itself versus what it should access from other sources. Ms. Kang provided a review of the Georgetown Center on Education and Policy website. She noted the various levels of reporting being done on a subject. Committee members said they liked the packaging on the college-major-earning tool. She also showed the Delaware Goes to College campaign. Members emphasized the need to partner with the colleges, VCCS, and DOE to direct students and parents to a good site. DISCUSSION OF NEXT STEPS AND TIMELINE For the July 17 Council meeting, members asked staff to create a more limited outline of two or three priority areas, noting that part of the plan can be to leverage existing resources. Members said staff ultimately should be able to specify what resources are needed, what is new product, what part is tidying up, and what the need is for better communications for each of the priorities. APPROVAL OF MINUTES On a motion by Ms. Connelly and seconded by Mr. Slater, the minutes from the May 7, 2018, meeting were approved unanimously.
Mr. Slater adjourned the meeting at 2:48 p.m. noting that the next meeting of the Committee is scheduled for August 16 at 1:00 p.m. Thomas Slater Ad Hoc Committee Chair Pamela Currey SCHEV Staff
State Council of Higher Education for Virginia Agenda Item Item: Ad Hoc Committee on Data and Policy Discussion of Questions Date of Meeting: August 16, 2018 Presenter: Pam Currey, SCHEV Staff Pamelacurrey@schev.edu Most Recent Review/Action: No previous Council review/action Previous review/action Date: June 19, 2018 Action: Ad Hoc Committee meeting Background Information/Summary of Major Elements: The Ad Hoc Committee on Data and Policy met on February 2, May 7, and June 19, 2018, and has considered background information and user needs. The committee is assessing data policies and practices that will provide a blueprint for the use of data and data systems maintained by SCHEV. Through this blueprint the Council will: Provide leadership to ensure that the Council s data assets, including the Virginia Longitudinal Data System (VLDS) meet the ongoing needs of the Commonwealth, are used effectively to communicate with various audiences and are adequately funded and staffed. Ensure that Council s data support the alignment among education, workforce, and human capital needs of the Commonwealth, and that the Council makes information on the alignment readily and easily available to the public. Promote data governance and the protection of individual privacy as a fiduciary duty of the Council and its staff. Ensure alignment with the Virginia Plan for Higher Education Historically, SCHEV has published and communicated data and reports in ways that meet SCHEV s statutory and regulatory responsibilities. Based on input received from Council members and users, the goal of this effort is to ensure that SCHEV s data and reports are aligned with The Virginia Plan for Higher Education and are made accessible in ways that can better inform policy decisions. Keeping this direction in mind, staff developed a series of questions under the broad goals of The Virginia Plan for Higher Education. After receiving feedback from Council
members, staff revised those questions. The attached draft infographic represents the compilation of questions aligned with The Virginia Plan for Higher Education. The questions will be used to guide data development and communication materials. Staff requests feedback from the Committee to direct staff resources, data requirements and scheduling. Through this assessment, staff can provide information related to the availability of data on each of the questions. SCHEV also is involved in initiatives that are closely related to some of the key questions. For example, under Innovation and Investment, the Resource and Planning Committee is engaged in a project to align public resources with The Virginia Plan. Consequently, it may be appropriate to wait on those questions until the completion of that work anticipated in the Spring of 2019. SCHEV staff also has presented information to the Ad Hoc Committee on the relationships among educational attainment, employment and earnings. Staff expects that a new website established to help answer this question will go live by October 1, 2018. This website which staff will preview at the meeting can be the template which can be used to address other topics. It includes links to other resources that will be easily accessible to various audiences, including press releases, infographics and presentations. Staff will develop additional pages, as time and resources are available, based on the scheduling recommended by the committee. Staff expects that additional technical, artistic and analytic resources will be needed to fully develop the data and policy capabilities of SCHEV. An estimate of those costs can be developed following direction received from the Committee. Because of the timing of state budget development, it is likely that SCHEV would need to submit a budget request prior to the next Ad Hoc Committee meeting. Materials Provided: None. Financial Impact: As noted. Timetable for Further Review/Action: The Ad Hoc Committee will report to the full Council on September 17, 2018. The next Ad Hoc Committee meeting is being scheduled now. Resolution: N/A
The Virginia Plan for Higher Education Virginia will be the best-educated state by 2030 Aligning Data and Policy Decisions with The Virginia Plan Goals $ AFFORDABLE ACCESS STUDENT SUCCESS INNOVATION & INVESTMENT PROSPERITY What are the financial and demographic characteristics of students who enroll in college and those who do not? Are students enrolling in institutions and programs for which they are appropriately prepared? How do different paths to and through higher education compare in terms of time, cost and outcomes? How well are institutions retaining and graduating students? What are common barriers to retention and timely completion? How successful are transfer programs in contributing to improvements in graduation, academic performance and student cost? What factors contribute materially to college completion and post-graduation success? How well are existing appropriations (operations, financial aid and capital) aligned with state goals? What are common metrics for assessing institutional and system efficiency and productivity? What are trends in faculty recruitment and retention? How competitive are institutions in recruiting and retaining faculty? What is the relationship between the college experience and graduate employment, income and civic life? What are the current and future workforce demands and associated salaries, and how well are institutions programs and models of education aligned with those demands? What is the value of institutions to their communities and the state? What tax revenues and economic development opportunities result from a better educated workforce? State Council of Higher Education for Virginia