Today, the Detroit Regional Chamber’s Detroit Drives Degrees program launched its Data Collaborative, an initiative that will provide comprehensive insight into student progress and achievement in the Detroit Region. The Collaborative uses the Postsecondary Data Partnership (PDP), a nationwide effort from the National Student Clearinghouse, to support this initiative by improving access to better data on student progress and outcomes.
The 13 participating colleges and universities are:
- Davenport University
- Eastern Michigan University
- Grand Valley State University
- Henry Ford College
- Jackson College
- Macomb Community College
- Monroe County Community College
- Oakland Community College
- Oakland University
- St. Clair County Community College
- University of Detroit Mercy
- University of Michigan – Dearborn
- Wayne State University
“This initiative enables Detroit Drives Degrees and participating colleges to analyze data effectively, highlighting areas that require attention and improvement,” said Meghan Schmidbauer, Senior Director of Detroit Drives Degrees at the Detroit Regional Chamber. “By identifying trends and gaps in student performance, enrollment, and success, we can allocate resources more strategically, ensuring efforts are directed at initiatives that will have the most significant impact. Further, this data-driven approach fosters accountability and encourages more efficient collaboration across various sectors developing and depending on the talent coming from these institutions.”
“Oakland University and its higher-education peers look forward to how this partnership and collective measurement framework will fill critical gaps in regional educational data,” said Dr. Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, President of Oakland University and Co-chair of the Detroit Drives Degrees Leadership Council. “The Detroit Regional Chamber’s leadership of this initiative will ensure the benefits of these data extend beyond the education sector and into a thriving regional workforce.”
The Detroit Drives Degrees Data Collaborative represents a significant partnership between the participating colleges and the Detroit Regional Chamber. The Chamber produces the annual State of Education and Talent report, which provides context centered around key data indicators that illustrate how the Region’s education institutions are preparing students for the jobs of the future through education. While data is available from multiple sources, it is not currently possible to collectively measure the work of the Region’s colleges.
By participating in the data collaborative, these colleges have signaled their dedication to student success and their commitment to the Regional Talent Compact’s goals. As partners in this work, each participating college will submit robust data to the National Student Clearinghouse PDP platform, which will allow for regional analysis and help Detroit Drives Degrees measure and monitor the impact of the Regional Talent Compact’s implemented strategies and policies on removing barriers to post-high school education and student success.