SHEEO has launched a new state policy academy focused on supporting states in expanding data capacity and developing policy infrastructure for integrating and using basic needs information in state postsecondary data systems.
Following a call for state teams in late 2024, seven states – Arizona, California, Georgia, Hawai’i, Kentucky, Minnesota, and New York – have been chosen to participate in a three-year initiative developed in partnership with the ECMC Foundation. The Basic Needs Academy will help support state teams as they develop or leverage their existing capacity to define, align, collect, and use basic needs data to improve policy and decision making, engage stakeholders, inform programming and services, and support students.
Background
Basic needs insecurities among college students stands out as an urgent issue. Every year, millions of students experience a lack of food, housing, mental health resources, childcare, technology, and transportation. Students are faced with significant challenges that can hinder their academic success. Further impacting this issue is the lack of clear and aligned basic needs data in state postsecondary data systems. Although recent efforts by SHEEO agencies to collect this information have led to improved insights and student support, widespread collection, use, and alignment of these data with other state administrative data remains inconsistent nationally. This inconsistency significantly hampers understanding of basic needs insecurities’ impacts on student success and the effectiveness of programs addressing these needs.
Integrating Basic Needs into State Postsecondary Data Systems
Through participation in the Basic Needs Academy, states will:
- Better understand their basic needs data landscape, including required capacities and necessary partnerships with institutions, state agencies, and stakeholders.
- Develop a definition of basic needs and a taxonomy of basic needs data that align across state agencies, institutions, and partner organizations.
- Create surveys or collect data elements that capture students’ basic needs insecurity indicators and corresponding services, programs, and interventions.
- Integrate new or refined basic needs data into postsecondary student unit record systems to improve tracking and effectiveness of associated policies, programs, or interventions to improve student experiences and academic and nonacademic outcomes.
- Improve awareness of basic needs data and associated policies and programs.
To support states in this process, SHEEO will provide each state team with a $60,000 capacity-building sub-grant. These funds may be used for technology upgrades, to contract additional analytics capacity, to develop institution-level pilots and collaborations, or to host in-state meetings focused on basic needs reporting. SHEEO is providing access to state team coaches and higher education state agency experts, Emily House, Carolyn Mata, and Bruce Vandal, who will guide the teams through academy curriculum. SHEEO has also partnered with The Hope Center, the Coleridge Initiative, and WestEd’s Data Integration Support Center to provide resources and technical assistance during the academy.
For questions about this project, contact Carrie Klein, Associate Vice President, at cklein@sheeo.org.
