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NORC at the University Chicago

A Data Dashboard to Promote Postsecondary Success

Developing tools to support college access and equity
  • Client
    Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
  • Dates
    2020 –2023

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation wanted to refine its post-secondary success strategy.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (Gates) funds programs that ensure post-secondary success is not dependent on race, ethnicity, and income. It decided that its previous goal—to support college completion for 11 million more students by 2025 to meet market demand—had limitations. It wanted to recenter its strategic goals on student outcomes, public goods to strengthen the field, and creating environments that support institutional transformation. The latter included selecting around 400 colleges and universities to work with intermediaries that would help them achieve institutional transformation. 

 

NORC worked closely with Gates to develop data dashboards that estimate graduation rates and forecast enrollment.       

Gates partnered with NORC to create dashboards that the intermediaries and colleges and universities can use to set goals and measure their progress towards them. One of the dashboards estimates graduation rates for Black, Indigenous, and Latino students using a predictive analytical model. The model is based on a meta-analysis of research curated by Gates. Colleges and universities can use it to model the impact adopting one or more strategies recommended by Gates (such as advising, digital learning, and developmental education) could have on graduation rates. Since this project took place as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, NORC improved estimates to account for COVID-related enrollment changes. The second dashboard provides enrollment projections by institution and institutional sector through 2027. NORC collaborated with Gates to develop the methodology and the functionality and usability of the dashboards.

                   

 

Colleges and universities can use the dashboards to promote post-secondary success.

Colleges and universities partnering with Gates can use the dashboards to set goals around post-secondary graduation and monitor progress toward them. They can also use them to assess how incorporating strategies Gates recommends could affect that journey. 

Project Leads

  • Lance A. Selfa

    Principal Research Scientist
    Project Director

  • Quentin Brummet

    Principal Research Methodologist
    Project Statistician

  • Nola du Toit

    Senior Research Methodologist & Data Visualization Specialist
    Data Visualization and Dashboard Specialists

  • Kiegan Rice

    Senior Statistician
    Data Visualization and Dashboard Specialists

A Data Dashboard to Promote Postsecondary Success

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