The new dashboards simplify years of data from the U.S. Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Pennsylvania’s State Higher Education Finance Survey and employment intelligence firm Lightcast, providing filterable charts for five topics: enrollment, attainment, college costs, higher-education finance and workforce credential gaps.
The enrollment dashboard, for example, draws on IPEDS from the 2010-11 school year to the 2023-24 school year. Users can filter by year, region, institution type and enrollment type. The data shows an overall decline in enrollment over the past decade, with 1,047,117 students in 2010 and 808,083 in 2023.
Comparative dashboards help add nuance. For example, one chart of attendance costs shows a sharp increase, from $27,492 in 2015 to $33,948 in 2023. Another dashboard adds a layer of information on how students are accounting for that increase, showing the amount of money they borrow through non-federal loans has increased much more rapidly than for federal loans.
According to a news release May 20, the data tools are intended for broad accessibility, using plain language for a non-technical audience. The SBHE has also published a set of introductory videos and frequently asked questions, and plans to offer webinars and one-on-one assistance to help users understand the data.
In addition to the general public audience, SBHE anticipates some dashboards will be useful for professionals in different sectors. For example, a chart displaying postsecondary credential supply and demand may shape economic and workforce development decision-making, according to the news release.
“Being able to see credential supply, demand, and labor market gaps by region is so useful,” Rob Cherry, CEO of Pennsylvania-based nonprofit Partner4Work, said in a public statement. “Our region needs to signal we have the competitive edge to attract business, to keep students and workers in southwest Pennsylvania, and to retain industry as they operate and grow.”
In another case, dashboards displaying college costs and availability of grants and scholarships may help high school guidance counselors.
The dashboards could help Pennsylvanians see the impacts of recent education reforms, including increasing public education funding by almost $3 billion in three years. The new higher-ed finance dashboards show how Pennsylvania’s funding compares to other states, and how it has changed over a 10-year period.
“By providing a one-stop shop for this information, the board is for the first time providing the kind of concrete, commonsense information we need to celebrate our contributions and further support our colleges and universities as engines of economic prosperity,” SBHE Board Chair Cynthia Shapira said in a public statement.
