Assistant Director, Data Analytics & Learning FirstGen Forward, United States
Session Abstract: Benchmarking is a powerful yet often underused driver of institutional improvement. The Postsecondary Data Partnership (PDP) offers a standardized, equity centered framework that helps institutions understand student progress, identify performance gaps, and make evidence based decisions. This session introduces a six step benchmarking cycle and illustrates how key metrics – such as Credit Accumulation Rate, Credit Completion Ratio, persistence, outcomes, and transfer – can reveal equity gaps and inform student success strategies. Participants will learn how to select meaningful peer institutions, avoid common pitfalls (including choosing peers based on prestige rather than mission alignment), and use comparative data to strengthen institutional strategy. Attendees will leave with practical guidance for setting aligned benchmarking objectives, leveraging PDP dashboards for analysis, and building an actionable continuous improvement process that turns data into direction.
