What the College Scorecard Can Tell Us About Higher Ed

Event Details

When

May 4, 2021

3:00 PM to 4:00 PM

It’s college decision season, with students all over the country making one of the biggest choices of their lives. But what information do prospective students and their families have access to when weighing postsecondary options?

Third Way, in partnership with New America and the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP), hosted a conversation about higher education’s data problems and how improving access to quality data will also improve student outcomes. To dive into this, Third Way’s Michael Itzkowitz, Senior Fellow of Higher Education, was joined by Dr. Bryan Cook, Vice President, Data and Policy Analysis at the Association of Public & Land-Grant Universities; Peter Hans, President of the University of North Carolina System; and Mamie Voight, Interim President, IHEP.

Michael, who is the former director of the College Scorecard, shared the history of the tool and attendees then had an opportunity to explore the tool themselves and learn about its features and areas ripe for improvement.

Turning to our panelists, Michael chatted with them about the existing data limitations, the current state of legislative play on data improvement, and how we can better support students and their families in making these big decisions. The panel also discussed the other benefits to expanding higher ed data, like helping policymakers and researchers create policies to support students and institutions. All of our panelists agreed that data expansion and transparency play an important role in leaving students better off than when they start their postsecondary journeys.