Value Data Collaborative (VDC)

In June 2022, IHEP launched the Value Data Collaborative (VDC) to further the field’s understanding of the return on investment in postsecondary education – both for students and their families, and for society writ large – by implementing the Postsecondary Value Framework.

This framework, developed by the Postsecondary Value Commission, provides an empirical basis for understanding the return on investment in postsecondary education, particularly by race/ethnicity, income, and gender.

At present, the Equitable Value Explorer applies this framework using publicly available College Scorecard data and data provided through a partnership with the University of Texas system and, in so doing, illuminates the benefits of using student-level data while also protecting individual student privacy. The VDC expands upon this work as state agencies, systems, and institutions across the the country apply the framework to generate robust analyses regarding the value that institutions and programs currently provide and to identify opportunities for future improvement.

As of June 2022, the VDC includes:

• Arkansas
• Indiana
• Kentucky

The Coleridge Initiative serves as the VDC’s data infrastructure partner to ensure necessary postsecondary and workforce data are shared in a secure, privacy–protected manner, and to support state agency partners in establishing the necessary legal, political, and organizational structures necessary to fully participate in the VDC. Insight Policy Research, a subsidiary of Westat Insight, serves as the VDC’s analytic lead.

The state teams’ work and the research agenda will be supported by the Equitable Value Advisory Board, a group of postsecondary researchers, practitioners, and other experts who are at the forefront of the burgeoning equitable value movement.

Members of the Equitable Value Advisory Board include:

• Carrie Billy, President & CEO, American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC)
• Colin Chellman, University Dean of Applied Research, Evaluation, and Data Analytics, City University of New York
• José Luis Cruz Rivera, President, Northern Arizona University
• Wil Del Pilar, Vice President of Higher Education Policy and Practice, Education Trust
• Stella Flores, Associate Professor of Higher Education and Public Policy, The University of Texas at Austin
• Indivar Dutta-Gupta, President and Executive Director, CLASP
• Sameer Gadkaree, President, The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS)
• Mildred García, President/CEO, American Association of State Colleges and Universities
• Stephanie Marken, Partner, Education Division, Gallup
• Amelia Parnell, Vice President for Research and Policy, NASPA
• Nicole Smith, Research Professor and Chief Economist, Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce
• Edward Smith-Lewis, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Institutional Programs, UNCF
• David Troutman, Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Data Officer of Institutional Research and Advanced Analytics for the Office of Institutional Research and Analysis, The University of Texas System
• Christina Whitfield, Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff, SHEEO
• Nancy Zimpher, Power of Systems Director, National Association of System Heads (NASH)

Together, IHEP, the VDC participating states, the Coleridge Initiative, Insight Policy Research, and members of the Equitable Value Advisory Board will produce actionable analyses and next steps for student-centered, equity-focused, and data-informed decision making by state higher education and workforce agencies.