Data Fellows Help Disseminate College Readiness Information

January 2015 | Houston, Texas
BY: Amy Williams

The Data Fellows of Texas, comprised of one representative from each of the 20 education service centers (ESC), were selected to inform K-12 educational leaders about publicly available Texas higher education data. This data has been gathered or funded by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) and can help leaders better serve their students in K-12 and beyond. The Data Fellows were trained on the available data in a one-day meeting, which was hosted by THECB and Education Service Center (ESC) 14. Now the Fellows are expected to disseminate the information to their regions.

Victoria Bustos, Data Fellow from Education Service Center 20, attended the training. 

"The Tracking Postsecondary Outcomes dashboard (www.howmanygo2college.com), provided by the THECB, has helped us in navigating through the immense amount of high school and college information," shared Bustos. "I was very impressed with how the data was selected, as well as how you are able to compare it to other ISDs or to where an ISD was at some point in the past."

Other public data resources that are available include Compare College TX, Dual Credit Data, and Economic Success Measures - Texas, located on CollegeMeasures.org. These resources, along with many others, can be used to support college readiness in a variety of ways. 

"I have used the Tracking Postsecondary Outcomes dashboard tremendously in my work with high school counselors and educators. Time and time again, they are always very impressed that we have this data," said Bustos. "We have also shared it in our college and career readiness forums, as well as interally with colleagues."

The resources also are beneficial for small and large districts alike.

"Here around San Antonio, we have small rural areas, but then we also have the large big city areas. The information provided in the dashboard is tailored to each of the ISDs. So whether you are in a small town or big city, the data is still there," explained Bustos. 

The Data Fellows have created training videos that educators can view to learn more about the dashboard. A complete list of current Data Fellows is now available, as well as additional information surrounding their work.