Cambridge, MA (December 7, 2020)—The Strategic Data Project for Postsecondary Career and Technical Education (SDP-CTE), an initiative of the Center for Education Policy Research (CEPR) at Harvard University, launches its first cohort of SDP-ECMCF fellows today. Over the next year, these talented data analysts will address pressing challenges related to student success for their organizations and add to the body of rigorous research on CTE in the higher education sector.Funded through a grant from ECMC Foundation, SDP-CTE has selected 16 data leaders at eight postsecondary institutions with career and technical education programs (CTE) to participate in the one-year fellowship. Throughout the course of the program, fellows receive expert training and Harvard faculty mentorship as they tackle analytic questions related to student success and labor market outcomes.
“CTE programs provide training for more than three million highly diverse students across the country,” said SDP-CTE Director Adrienne Murphy. “Our partners and fellows have identified critical questions surrounding student success, which our fellows will address using rigorous analysis. The ultimate goal is to create evidence-based strategic programming to ensure that CTE students are moving from enrollment to graduation, and eventually joining and strengthening the workforce.”
Since 2008, SDP has trained quantitative experts to use data to help education agencies—from charter school networks to state departments of education—build their capacity to generate evidence and make data-based decisions. Launched earlier this year, the SDP-CTE fellowship is an expansion of the Strategic Data Project’s Pre-K-12 programs.
“This new fellowship builds on the Strategic Data Project’s long-held mission of supporting education agencies to use evidence to make a difference in the lives of students,” said SDP Director Miriam Greenberg. “We’re excited to see this new fellowship apply that mission in the postsecondary space to better support career and technical education students.”
To learn more about the Strategic Data Project for Postsecondary Career and Technical Education fellowship, visit 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.
Strategic Data Project for Postsecondary Career and Technical Education Cohort 1 Partners
- Kansas City Kansas Community College
- Florida State College at Jacksonville
- Tulsa Technology Center
- Delaware Technical Community College
- Chattanooga State Community College
- Greenville Technical Community College
- Holyoke Community College
- Nashville State Community College
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.
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