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Following a competitive selection process, Stanly Community College employees Dr. Cindy Dean and Devin Baucom have been named Fellows of the Strategic Data Project-Career and Technical Education (SDP-CTE).

Through a grant from the ECMC Foundation, the Strategic Data Project, an initiative of the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University, has launched a fellowship program to support post-secondary institutions that serve career and technical education students.

As SDP ECMCF Fellows, Dean, the director of institutional effectiveness, and Baucom, the associate vice president of advanced manufacturing, industry, technology and trades, will begin their fellowship in fall 2021 and conclude in summer 2022. Over the course of the year, they will receive extensive training in measurement and analysis, leadership and change management and education policy. Together they will execute a strategic data project related to CTE at SCC.

The Strategic Data Project for Post-secondary CTE Fellowship will build the capacity of institutions to use evidence to meet the diverse needs of post-secondary CTE students. In its second year, the fellowship program partners with 24 data leaders across 13 institutions of higher education to build the capacity of existing analytic staff through SDP’s year-long training program, during which fellows will focus on using data to support institutional decision-making.

Fellows will pursue analytic projects addressing a unique challenge facing their organization — from evaluating student and workforce demands to analyzing certification completion rates — to identify potential barriers to student success.

Based at the CEPR at Harvard University, the Strategic Data Project is transforming the use of data in education to improve student achievement. It provides premier professional development programs, research services and resources for schools, districts and states.

Collaborating with SDP helps system leaders build internal capacity, uncover insight and inform policy and strategic management decision-making.

The SDP Partnership is an intensive capacity-building program that places new data strategists and trains existing talented data strategists in education agencies to have an immediate impact on policy decisions that affect student outcomes. It includes extensive training in measurement and analysis, leadership and change management and education policy.

The SDP is based at the CEPR at Harvard University. CEPR is a research center that collaborates with faculty across the university and education agencies around the country.

About the Strategic Data Project

Harvard’s Strategic Data Project works with education agencies to find and train data leaders to uncover trends, measure solutions, and effectively communicate evidence to stakeholders. SDP’s network of system leaders, fellows, and faculty come together to share how to best use
data to make a difference in the lives of students. SDP Fellows are driving data-informed change in over 145 school systems and organizations. Learn more at sdp.harvard.edu.

About the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University

The Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University seeks to transform education through quality research and evidence. CEPR and its partners believe all students will learn and thrive when education leaders make decisions using facts and findings, rather than untested assumptions. Learn more at cepr.harvard.edu.

About ECMC Foundation

ECMC Foundation is a Los Angeles-based, nationally focused foundation with a mission
is to inspire and to facilitate improvements that affect educational outcomes — especially among underserved populations — through evidence-based innovation. It is one of several affiliates under the ECMC Group enterprise based in Minneapolis. ECMC Foundation makes investments in two focus areas: College Success and Career Readiness; and uses a spectrum of funding structures, including strategic grant making and program-related investments, to invest in both nonprofit and for-profit ventures.

Working with grantees, partners and peers, ECMC Foundation’s vision is for all learners to unlock their fullest potential. Learn more about ECMC Foundation by visiting www.ecmcfoundation.org and ECMC Group by visiting www.ecmcgroup.org.