Using Educational Data to Increase Learning, Retention, and Degree Attainment at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs)

The use of data to understand, improve, and document student progress is especially critical at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs)—colleges and universities characterized by deep understandings of the students they serve, networks of academic and social support, and institution-wide commitments to providing educational opportunity for students of color and those from disadvantaged backgrounds. This report argues that beyond assessing institutional performance, MSIs can benefit from gathering data about the experiences and aspirations of their students, interventions that can help students attain educational goals, and the ways in which their students make use of their education.