Reimagining the Use of Standard Education Data to Signal Economic Mobility

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

This panel explores how existing educational data can be repurposed to serve as an early indicator of students’ future economic mobility. Drawing on new research from the Student Upward Mobility Initiative, panelists with partnerships in three different states will highlight how current assessments and standard administrative data can be used to predict long-term outcomes. This research provides educators, policymakers, and researchers with immediate, actionable measures that relate to economic mobility, allowing for current policies and practices to be designed with an eye towards long-run outcomes.

With 7 in 10 children born into poverty never reaching the middle class, it’s time to do something different.  Before systems are completely overhauled, we need to understand what skills and competencies drive lifelong success within K-12 education and the contextual factors that matter most. We believe schools can better support students’ economic mobility if they have a more complete understanding of what drives it.

One project analyzes standardized assessment data from Texas to identify which specific test questions best predict long-term outcomes like college enrollment and earnings. This paper seeks to understand if measures deprioritized in test grading hold hidden insights into the life trajectories of students in poverty and will also articulate the skills and competencies underlying these questions. A second study from Oregon combines academic scores with discipline and attendance data to explore how these skills while individuals are students are tied to adult success. Going beyond employment status, this paper also considers broader indicators of well-being such as number of jobs, employment stability, health insurance coverage, and involvement with the criminal justice system. The third paper develops a measure of bridging social capital using course enrollment patterns and demographic data, offering a potential alternative to time-intensive surveys for capturing the quality of students’ relationships and support networks, which can drive economic mobility. All three studies grapple with how students’ skills and competencies are developed and leveraged within their unique contexts.

Together, these projects point toward a powerful potential to better leverage existing educational data. If we can unlock the untapped potential of existing K–12 data to measure and inform student mobility, we can better identify opportunities, guide improvement, and align education policy toward long-term success. This panel will share early insights and explore how much value we can extract from the data we already have to build a more mobility-focused education system.

Policy Area

• Education

Chair

• Maggie Reeves, Urban Institute

Discussant

• Jason Jabbari, Washington University in St. Louis

Organizer

• Maggie Reeves, Urban Institute

Individual Presentations

• Which Test Questions Most Predict Economic Mobility? - Presenting Author: Viviana Rodriguez, University of Texas at San Antonio

• Understanding How Students’ Skills and the Structural Barriers They Face Affect Their Economic Mobility - Presenting Author: Lindsay Liebert, NORC at the University of Chicago

• School Diversity and Social Capital: Conditions That Foster Bridging Ties in Schools - Presenting Author: Tara Blagg, University of Southern California

• Reducing Dimensionality for Policymaking: Can We Determine an Optimal Number of Student Absenteeism Measures? - Presenting Author: Colby Woods, University of Pennsylvania