Since 2017, the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) has hosted Communities of Practice (CoPs) convenings to support state teams in strengthening their postsecondary data systems. CoPs are two-day, conference-style meetings for state postsecondary agency staff and cross-agency peers built from the work and learnings of SHEEO’s Strong Foundations survey. These convenings provide a c ritical space for collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and strategic planning, allowing states to maximize the value of their data to inform policy and improve student outcomes with participation from 43 states, the District of Columbia, and the Northern Mariana Islands. The CoP model has proven to be a powerful tool for fostering innovation and addressing common policy challenges.
A key strength of CoP convenings is the opportunity for state teams to engage directly with national experts, state agency peers, and institutional partners. SHEEO issues a call for CoP participation, and SHEEO agencies respond with letters of interest outlining their state contexts, current and planned work, and technical assistance needs. SHEEO invites experts from state agencies and research and policy fields to align with articulated needs and interests. In addition to speaker presentations, SHEEO fosters a collaborative learning environment through state team activities that help states refine their approaches, identify potential solutions, and implement strategies that are tailored to their unique policy contexts. These state team activities are dedicated time on the agenda for team members to discuss the state’s policy strengths and shared challenges through facilitated questions and activities.
Value & Impact
SHEEO’s CoPs are a catalyst for change in state postsecondary agencies and their data systems. Our participants have noted that the value of attending CoPs lies in the opportunities to collaborate with state colleagues effectively and to gather the resources, knowledge, and technical assistance to implement change in their agencies and data systems. CoPs provide a mechanism for state colleagues to network and build relationships within and beyond their state agencies. A recent CoP participant noted, “For many of us, we are the only ones doing this type of work in our state/system and we have so much to gain from coming together around a key topical area to discuss.” This sentiment reflects the challenges postsecondary state agency members face are unique to their role and position. Meeting others in the same role across state borders has greatly benefited their work.
In addition to providing connections with colleagues, CoPs also provide attendees with time to learn from one another and to develop approaches for addressing complex problems associated with their data systems. As another CoP attendee noted, “The CoP provides an invaluable opportunity for teams to have dedicated time with limited interruptions from day-to-day responsibilities to advance strategic projects.” This dedicated time allows participants to collaborate with other state colleagues to collectively address postsecondary data challenges in their states to better advance state priorities and outcomes.
Beyond information-sharing, CoP convenings also serve as a venue for professional development and technical assistance. The convenings provide concrete guidance, refined strategies, and actionable next steps for participants upon returning to their home states. The ability to collaborate across states, leverage national expertise, and build capacity within state agencies ensures that the benefits of these convenings are influencing policy well after the CoP concludes. For example, CoPs have been important tools that state team participants have leveraged in supporting their work once they return home. At the recent CoP on Multi-State and Multi-Sector projects, SHEEO brought together national and state experts leading impactful cross-sector and cross-state initiatives who shared resources with state teams, including opportunities to improve data capacity through initiatives like the Multi-State Data Collaborative (MSDC). CoP participation resulted in an increase in state involvement in the MSDC and improved collaborations between state agencies. The exchange of resources and community-building among agencies, regionally and nationally, builds a wealth of knowledge and support for the state teams to have in their repository.
CoP Topics
SHEEO has held 12 CoPs on topics such as connecting state funding formulas to state goals using postsecondary data and aligning postsecondary data to workforce outcomes. In October 2024, SHEEO hosted its most recent CoP on defining and measuring postsecondary value and return on investment (ROI). The CoP highlighted state efforts in this area and the importance of ensuring that higher education adequately improves student outcomes, state progress, and societal benefits. SHEEO brought national experts to discuss the public perception of higher education, and the various considerations for measuring ROI states should consider when developing their metrics and formulas.
The next CoP will be Strengthening Data Literacy Among Higher Education Stakeholders on May 7–8, 2025. Responding to a need articulated by recent CoPs, SHEEO will convene state teams to focus on ways to improve stakeholder understanding of postsecondary data. SHEEO will bring experts together to share best practices on presenting data through visualizations for various stakeholders, creating programs to foster data literacy at various levels of expertise, building informed partnerships for customized data requests, and sharing strategies for empowering stakeholders to use state data for informed decision-making.