Learning Agenda

The topics and questions in the learning agenda are used to prioritize and inform data requests to P20 WIN. Requests should disaggregate data by race/ethnicity, location, and other factors where possible. 

College and Career Success

The purpose of this topic is to provide information to support course placement decisions at colleges and universities and to provide information to families in Connecticut about the probability of admission to four-year institutions. Questions for this agenda item include, but are not limited to:

  • What are the pre-college indicators, including student need, that correlate with the level of preparation required for a high school student to succeed in a core, credit-level course of study at a post-secondary institution?
  • To what degree does high school academic history correlate with career readiness for students who do not pursue post-secondary education after high school completion?

An analysis if two key metrics for college and career readiness for students in Connecticut, using P20 WIN data, is posted here. The analysis reports college attendance, performance and persistence according to the metrics and selected demographic factors.

Student Readiness

It is essential to provide multi-faceted supports so that all students can achieve the highest levels of academic readiness. Analysis will focus on three critical educational systems/transitions: early childhood to k-12; elementary/middle to high school within K-12; and high school to post-secondary. It is vital for this to not just include mainstream education data, but also to include social services, child welfare, housing, family life, and adult education data to get a fuller picture of student experiences. Questions for this agenda item include, but are not limited to:

  • What types of educational and social support services, such as food supports or childcare subsidies, allow students to achieve at the highest levels? Which students receive supports and which receive no known supports?
  • How do academic trajectories change for those who receive supports compared to those who do not, especially at the times of transition (e.g. PK to K, Grade 8 to 9, and HS graduation to postsecondary)?
  • Can multiple cohorts be tracked longitudinally through the systems to see if there are patterns that repeat? What can we learn about the accumulation of adverse childhood experience (ACEs) in households in Connecticut?
Financial Aid

Connecticut must have a better understanding of the dynamics of financial aid and the outcomes of state financial aid grant recipients so that we can maximize the opportunity for students with limited state resources. Questions for this agenda item include, but are not limited to:

  • What are the demographics and outcomes of CT students that receive state financial grants? Demographic categories of interest include race/ethnicity, hometown, eligibility for free and reduced-priced lunch, average EFC, etc.
  • On average, how much additional aid (federal and institutional aid) is provided to students that receive a state grant? By sector?
  • What percentage of state financial aid recipients are found employed in Connecticut after graduation?

More detail about P20 WIN's financial aid analysis can be found here. A data story with trend data and maps of coverage for the Roberta Willis Scholarship Program can be found here. 

Workforce Training

The success of the state’s workforce education training system, which is critical to the state’s economic development, requires using data to inform decision-making and programming. The state is working to develop standards around measuring the return on investment (ROI) for Connecticut’s public workforce training programs. Questions for this agenda item include, but are not limited to:

  • What is the impact of short-term training programs on earnings?
  • What is the ROI of public workforce training programs, particularly those with traditionally mixed results such as WIOA Adult?
    •  The WIOA Training Strategy Report provides a descriptive analysis of the 2018 WIOA Adult data and introduces basic performance metrics and methods to conduct a ROI analysis for WIOA programs. Read the summary here.  
  • What is the best replicable, flexible methodology for measuring the net impact of public workforce training programs on earnings and employment?
  • What do we know about training and employment outcomes for public assistance recipients or those with unstable housing?

More detail about P20 WIN's workforce training analysis can be found here.

Overcoming Barriers to Success

Embedded in each of the prior topics is the need to help individuals who face barriers to success or who are at risk of falling behind due to conditions such as homelessness or engagement with the child welfare system. P20 WIN has expanded to include state agencies that address social services, homelessness, and child welfare. Establishing these connections allows us to understand the degree to which residents face additional challenges and to develop programs that support these students and move individuals and families into cycles of success.

  • What is the cost benefit ratio of SNAP, TANF, Medicaid, and Childcare assistance programs? Are there patterns that suggest different program delivery models may yield greater effectiveness or cost savings?
  • Where do we observe overlap in the provision of services? Where are there opportunities for more coordinated service delivery? Where are there gaps or 'pain points' in the children's behavioral health system?
  • How does the design of benefit programs impact access to education and workforce programs? Are benefit cliffs a disincentive to work?
  • What factors in the life of a child in foster care have the greatest impact on school achievement, and other outcomes?