Data and Technology in Action: Advancing Economic Mobility at Community Colleges

Latest Releases: Read our report, Data and Technology in Action: Community Colleges Advancing Economic Mobility, highlighting case studies of four community colleges deploying promising data and technology practices to improve economic outcomes for their students.

Read our 2024 Convening Insights brief, derived from our gathering of 80+ community college leaders exploring how colleges can drive economic mobility in their regions.

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Project Overview

The Project on Workforce is collaborating with Education Design Lab’s (EDL’s) Community College Growth Engine on a research and design project to help community colleges leverage real-time labor market information (LMI), student performance data, and emerging technologies to advance economic mobility for their students. 

Past Project on Workforce research highlights the critical role that community colleges can play in their regional workforce and economic ecosystems. In the volume, America’s Hidden Economic Engines, and report, The Partnership Imperative, we highlight the ways community colleges can advance economic mobility and spur regional growth. When institutions are aligned with local employers, they are able to create better outcomes for students and businesses alike. 

Comprehensive data, like real-time LMI (i.e., job posting analytics), are a crucial lever for institutions to align programs with industry needs and prepare students for in-demand careers. Unfortunately, many community colleges do not have access to real-time LMI or post-graduation data, or if they do, resource constraints hinder their ability to apply it systemically. As emerging technologies like generative AI transform the labor market at a rapid pace, it will be more important than ever for colleges to stay attuned–and adapt–to industry shifts.

This project pairs Harvard researchers and EDL designers with four colleges, South Texas College, Riverland Community College (Minnesota), Hudson County Community College (New Jersey) and the Community College of Aurora (Colorado), to:

• Conduct case studies on the use of data and new technology to improve student outcomes

• Lead design sprints to launch strategic micro-pathways, based on research findings

• Develop a playbook of learnings and best practices for other institutions

Funded by the Axim Collaborative, this research and implementation project will strengthen the capacity of community colleges to serve their students–helping colleges modernize systems and programs and prepare for the next wave of technological change. Our team will identify innovative models, challenges, and best practices from four distinct state systems and institutions, and apply these learnings to improve employment and earnings for students. In today’s ever-changing world, data-driven approaches will be key to expanding economic opportunity for marginalized students and fulfilling the promise of the community college system.

The Project on Workforce Team:

David Deming

Joe Fuller

Kerry McKittrick

Amanda Holloway

The Education Design Lab Team:

Bill Hughes

Lisa Larson

Joe Davis