New Dashboard Aims to Boost College Graduation Rates Amid Reform Pressure
You have 4/5 articles left.Sign up for a free account or log in.
Sign Up, It's FREELogin
filo/DigitalVision Vectors/Getty Images
Higher education is on the hot seat. Colleges are under growing pressure to deliver stronger outcomes and clearly demonstrate the value of their degrees and programs. Policymakers are seeking accountability through new gainful-employment regulations, expanded reporting requirements and stricter oversight of federal student loan programs. And employers are demanding more concrete evidence that graduates possess the skills necessary to succeed in the workforce.
But the growing public and political pressure is, in some respects, a symptom of a deeper challenge. While many colleges are actively working to improve outcomes, the scale and complexity of these efforts require stronger, more coordinated support. Institutions need better tools to understand what works, what doesn't and how to adapt. Although colleges sit on a wealth of data that can help provide those answers, they need support in translating data into action.
As independent bodies responsible for quality assurance and institutional improvement, accreditors can bridge the gap and help institutions make better use of the data they collect. Here's why.
Most Popular
- White House Meets With Universities Regarding Compact
- Survey Says: Higher Ed Moving in "Wrong Direction"
- In "Rocky" Labor Market, Your College Major Matters
Today, more than 40 million Americans have left college without a degree or credential. Stagnant outcomes and low completion rates-particularly for first-generation, low-income and nontraditional students-remain a concern across much of higher education. Just 63 percent of students graduate within six years at public four-year institutions.
Much of the data needed to address these challenges already exists, collected by institutions, accreditors and the federal government. Meanwhile, powerful advances in data analytics make it easier than ever to uncover patterns of concern. Yet much of this information remains inaccessible, fragmented or underutilized. The College Transparency Act, recently advanced in Congress, marks a step toward unlocking and connecting long-siloed student-level data, but legislation alone won't solve the problem. Accreditors are positioned to take the lead in turning existing data into a road map for meaningful change.
With a vantage point that spans hundreds of institutions, accreditors can activate data in ways that make institutions more responsive to student needs by surfacing effective practices, highlighting systemic issues and encouraging collaboration.
Advertisement
Consider the "Better Conversations, Better Data" initiative we launched at the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission. Funded by the Lumina Foundation, the project standardized accreditation data across institutions and launched the Key Indicators Dashboard. The public-facing dashboard provides data on institution size, student completion, postgraduation outcomes and student and institutional finances. The dashboard provides colleges and universities with a common starting point to track their performance over time and compare it to that of similar institutions.
Using data from the dashboard, the University of Hawaiʻi-West Oʻahu took a closer look at persistent obstacles that its transfer students faced. The university identified key challenges impacting persistence and began exploring the role accreditation can play in strengthening and improving transfer student success. The dashboard provides faculty, staff and administrators with access to data, enabling them to make more informed decisions related to advising, curriculum design and student support strategies.
These aren't just isolated experiments. They reflect a growing consensus across higher education that transparent, well-used data can serve as a catalyst for institutional improvement.
Advertisement
As the Institute for Higher Education Policy has long argued, institutional data should be used to drive better decision-making and strengthen student outcomes, not just to check boxes.
Still, there is significant room for innovation in how data is used across the sector. Accreditors are positioned to serve as architects of improvement, providing necessary guidance and using their convening power to share solutions.
Policymakers and employers are demanding value. Students and families are expecting it. Colleges are striving to meet these expectations, often under significant resource and capacity constraints. To make meaningful progress, they need better tools and clearer insights. It's time to make data more transparent, accessible and comparable.
Editor's Picks
- Deciphering Trump's Compact Invitation to All of Higher Ed
- Colleges Push Back Against Trump's Effort to Collect More Admissions Data
- Brown Joins MIT, Rejects Compact
Accreditors have both the authority and the responsibility to provide those solutions. While their regulatory role protects students and ensures public trust, their influence shouldn't end there. In a data-driven era, accreditation can serve as a thoughtful engine for continuous, evidence-based transformation across higher education.
Maria Toyoda is president and CEO of the WASC Senior College and University Commission.
straight to your inboxSubscribe to a Newsletter
Read also:
- Executive from significant German automobile corporation advocates for a truthful assessment of transition toward electric vehicles
- United Kingdom Christians Voice Opposition to Assisted Dying Legislation
- Democrats are subtly dismantling the Affordable Care Act. Here's the breakdown
- Financial Aid Initiatives for Ukraine Through ERA Loans
