The Detroit Regional Chamber’s Detroit Drives Degrees initiative has released a new white paper, Engines of Progress: Building Longitudinal Postsecondary Data Infrastructure for Degree Attainment, Equity, and Opportunity in Detroit, examining how stronger postsecondary data infrastructure can help advance educational attainment, equity, and economic opportunity across the Detroit Region.
The report, developed in partnership with ResearchEd, explores the work of the Detroit Drives Degrees Data Collaborative, a regional effort bringing together colleges and universities to strengthen the use of longitudinal student data and improve outcomes across institutions. The paper highlights key insights from participating institutions, including the importance of aligning data with institutional goals, building staff capacity, and using shared data systems to better understand student success and transfer pathways.
The white paper reinforces the connection between educational attainment and economic competitiveness and underscores the role regional collaboration plays in helping the Region reach its 2030 goals of increasing postsecondary attainment and reducing racial equity gaps.
Key recommendations include investing in data capacity, strengthening governance, aligning metrics and reporting practices, and expanding opportunities for benchmarking and shared learning among institutions.