The Strategic Data Project (SDP) at the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University presented Madison College with its 2024 Strategic Data Excellence Award.
The Madison College project focused on student-parents, who are often older than traditional students and predominantly identify as female, Black, Hispanic, multiracial, or Asian.
Results from the college’s basic needs and student satisfaction surveys revealed that 42% of the student population were parenting newborn to school-age children and facing barriers related to child care. In response, the data team linked the parenting status question to its data warehouse, allowing for tracking and support of these students longitudinally to monitor outcomes like retention and graduation rates.
Now, student parents who self-identify for targeted support are directly linked to a new one-stop resource page designed to help them navigate challenges such as finding and paying for child care and studying with children.
The data also resulted in the creation of dedicated parent study rooms on campus and the acquisition of a fire station from the city of Madison to expand the child care resources for student parents.
