Amid the sea of tutorials, reports, books and worksheets about higher education and data, finding a clearly written study of data and change management is most welcome. Please consider Brad C. Phillips and Jordan E. Horowitz’s Creating a Data-Informed Culture in Community Colleges: A New Model for Educators. While I cannot speak to how new the model might be, I can most definitely attest that there is great value to this book. It is relevant and practical – and not just for those who work in the community college world. At the most basic level, the aim of the book is “for understanding and implementing a data-use model that results in action.” It is a noble and worthy goal. When we care about student success, can we ask for anything more?
Phillips is a well-known educational reformer. He heads up the Institute for Evidence-Based Change and has published in journals and the popular press. Horwitz is the vice-president at IBEC, where he focuses on projects and public policy. They write with one voice and from a perspective of meaningful experience in the field.
Having data, the authors emphasize, is no longer an issue. We all can find it, have colleagues that produce it, and can get more of it with little effort. However, we often go down the data path with assumptions that simply do not hold water. We cannot expect that colleagues are enthusiastic to talk about student success from a data-informed perspective, and we must not believe that identifying problems with data automatically will lead to change, or even that we know how to fix certain problems. Making sure that data is accurate is another key factor. When the truthfulness of data is questioned, the result is inaction. The book is clear: change is difficult and studying a lot of data will neither lead to change or necessarily make things better.
To make data-informed improvements, Phillips and Horowitz offer structured guides. They emphasize focus, being selective about what we want to change and why. Further, they note that we would be well-served by only reporting data that leads to decision-making. This “radical” observation is one that hit home with me, for I believe that all of us in higher education consistently read read and talk about data that have little or nothing to do with action. Lastly, the book spells out very useful ways of communicating about data, with headlines and templates to facilitate action. Before we can make data informed decision, we need to be sure that we are in a good place to judge the data. This calls into account all the various ways in which we digest, discuss and act when it comes to analysis and action. It is a very helpful reminder and the book provides suggestions on how best to structure and frame data-informed conversations.
From that foundation, the authors walk us through different models of putting data into play. The differences between leading and lagging indicators is examined in detail. It is a vital distinction and one that demands extended analysis. If we are going to improve student success, we have to be sure to know what we will be looking at and what will impact which outcomes. The book outlines different ways to do this and how institutions can create mechanisms for regular follow up. Creating a Data-Informed Culture closes with a few real life case studies.
The book is short, easy to read, even easier to think about, and very well organized. Implementation, though, takes effort and hard work. Phillips and Horowitz are to be commended for crafting a jargon-free volume that helps with data and informs change management in pursuit of student success. My only recommendation is that the authors consider a new name – Creating a Data-Informed Culture in Education. The book could find a home in all manner of institutions.
David Potash