Data dialogue drives continuous improvement at adult schools in the Education to Career Network (ETCN)
The stated mission of the Education to Career Network (ETCN)—a consortium of adult schools in North San Diego County that includes schools in Poway, Escondido, San Marcos, Ramona, and Vista, as well as Palomar College—is “to empower students to achieve their individual educational and career goals by providing high-quality, relevant, and responsive courses, programs, and services, all for low or no fee.”
To accomplish this mission, ETCN relies on data collected from every student to meet state and federal compliance requirements and improve programs that enable students to achieve a successful transition to further education and/or employment. This information is critical to meeting the needs of students as challenges arise and requirements evolve for both students and the schools that educate them.
This is an example of “Data-Informed Decision-Making Beyond Compliance for Continuous Improvement”—one of seven practices developed to help adult schools and community colleges meet their educational mission, and efforts at Poway Adult School (PAS) highlight how ETCN member schools exercise this practice.
“It’s amazing what you don’t see until you get someone else’s perspective. It’s become a really valuable tool for us. The data dialogue protocol helps us make better decisions for students and guides our continuous program improvement.”
Pam Garramone, Assistant Director of Academic Programs, Poway Adult School
Pam Garramone is Assistant Director of Academic Programs at PAS, which serves students returning to school for their high school diploma or equivalency and provides English as a second language, citizenship preparation, Career Technical Education, and community classes on everything from arts and crafts to parenting.
The students, numbering about 2,700, are a vast mix of men and women, ages 18 to 80, who collectively speak dozens of different languages.
“Adults have a lot of things happening in their lives,” says Garramone. “They come to school and may have plans and goals, but life can get in the way, so we see a lot of stopping out and returning back in.”
Tracking each student as they come and go is just one of the data collection efforts PAS and the other ETCN schools use to assess programs.
“If they are leaving, we can ask, ‘Why?’ Did we not give them what they needed? If not, what are the barriers? We want to help them overcome barriers. Was it transportation? Childcare? The class schedule?”
The schools in the consortium also survey students six months and a year after leaving school, asking each: “Did they go on to college? Did they find a job? Did they get a raise at their job? Have they gone on to technical education?” These questions lead to the schools collecting succinct and specific data about recent student outcomes in the workforce and continuing education.
They also measure academic student literacy when they enter a course of study and when they complete the course to make sure they are improving their academic and comprehension skills. And they track whether students finish a given program or leave before completion.
Data also plays a role in program development. Consortium members study market forces and employment needs to decide whether to create a new course or refer interested students to another campus with a similar offering. An instructor suggested that PAS develop a court reporter course, prompting extensive research into the field. The school decided to move forward, and the course has led many into lucrative court reporting jobs immediately upon completion, says Garramone.
On the other hand, PAS opted against offering some courses that are too costly to set up, such as dental assisting. Instead, the school refers potential students to that program at another ETCN member school, Palomar College.
Data collection does not take place in a vacuum. Consortium members meet monthly for what they call “a data-driven dialogue protocol” to examine and act on the collected data. Participants first offer their predictions of data outcomes, then crunch the numbers, make graphs, and try to find trends and patterns.
“Things jump out at you,” says Garramone. “Then we infer ideas, draw conclusions, and hypothesize. It’s amazing what you don’t see until you get someone else’s perspective. It’s become a really valuable tool for us. The data dialogue protocol helps us make better decisions for students and guides our continuous program improvement.”
The value placed on data collection is key to ETCN’s mission of supporting adult learners in the region, and at all of its member schools: “ETCN’s robust data practices have been instrumental to the consortium’s success in North County San Diego,” says Stacey Adame, Principal of Escondido Adult School.
“By implementing comprehensive data collection and analysis protocols, including quarterly data dialogues, we’ve been able to make informed decisions about program development, resource allocation, and strategic planning,” Adame says.
By collecting all of this information, interpreting it, and applying results to the curriculum offered at its member schools, the consortium can best serve its students based on quantifiable data. At ETCN, data dialogue isn’t just about compliance, but a catalyst for real student success.
The Education to Career Network is the largest adult education consortium in San Diego County. Its members include Escondido, Poway, Ramona, San Marcos, and Vista Adult Schools, as well as Palomar College. To learn more about ETCN and its members, visit educationtocareer.net.
Written by Dorsey Griffith
| Regions | Classes & Topics |
|---|---|
| Southern California | Enrichment |
