Kevin McMindes and Elizabeth Varga of Greenville Technical College (GTC) will participate as fellows in the Strategic Data Project for Postsecondary Career and Technical Education (SDP-CTE), sponsored by the ECMC Foundation. This initiative from the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University builds on GTC’s predictive analytics platform and the college’s partnership with Civitas Learning and is aimed at helping more students succeed. McMindes serves GTC as a statistician, and Varga is the college’s director of planning and grants.
Through a grant from the ECMC Foundation, the Strategic Data Project, an initiative of the Center for Education Policy at Harvard University, has launched a fellowship program to support postsecondary institutions that serve career and technical education (CTE) students.
The new SDP-CTE Fellowship will build the capacity of institutions including Greenville Technical College to use evidence to meet the diverse needs of postsecondary CTE students. In its first year, the fellowship program is partnering with eight institutions of higher education across seven states to build the capacity of existing analytic staff through SDP’s year-long training program, during which fellows including McMindes and Varga will focus on using data to support institutional decision-making.
SDP-ECMCF Fellows will pursue analytic projects addressing a unique challenge facing their organization – from evaluating student and workforce demands to analyzing certification completion rates – to identify potential barriers to student success.
“Greenville Technical College uses Civitas Learning predictive analytics to determine in real time when students are encountering difficulties that may hamper their success and work to remove those barriers. Our new collaboration with the Strategic Data Project, an initiative of the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University, will allow us to take predictive analytics to the next level, looking at program offerings and aligning them with the labor market to see which credentials offer the greatest return,” said Lauren Simer, vice president for institutional effectiveness at Greenville Technical College.
To learn more about the Strategic Data Project for Postsecondary Career and Technical Education fellowship, visit https://sdp.cepr.harvard.edu/fellowship-cte.
To speak with Adrienne Murphy or Miriam Greenberg, or to inquire about the Strategic Data Project for Postsecondary Career and Technical Education fellowship, please contact Lindsay Blauvelt at lindsay_blauvelt@gse.harvard.edu.
About the Strategic Data Project: Harvard's Strategic Data Project (SDP) works with education agencies to find and train data leaders to uncover trends, measure solutions, and effectively communicate evidence to stakeholders. SDP’s network of system leaders, fellows, and faculty come together to share how to best use data to make a difference in the lives of students. SDP Fellows are driving data-informed change in over 145 school systems and organizations. Learn more at sdp.harvard.edu.
About the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University: The Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University seeks to transform education through quality research and evidence. CEPR and its partners believe all students will learn and thrive when education leaders make decisions using facts and findings, rather than untested assumptions. Learn more at cepr.harvard.edu.
About ECMC Foundation: ECMC Foundation is a Los Angeles-based, nationally focused foundation with a mission is to inspire and to facilitate improvements that affect educational outcomes—especially among underserved populations—through evidence-based innovation. It is one of several affiliates under the ECMC Group enterprise based in Minneapolis. ECMC Foundation makes investments in two focus areas: College Success and Career Readiness; and uses a spectrum of funding structures, including strategic grantmaking and program-related investments, to invest in both nonprofit and for-profit ventures. Working with grantees, partners and peers, ECMC Foundation’s vision is for all learners to unlock their fullest potential. Learn more about ECMC Foundation by visiting www.ecmcfoundation.org and ECMC Group by visiting www.ecmcgroup.org.