Policy and praxis in data democratization efforts: A case study of Minnesota State's Equity 2030

Abstract

In June 2019, Minnesota State set a critical goal: By 2030, eliminate the educational equity gaps at each of the 30 colleges and 7 universities that comprise the system. To achieve the goal of Equity 2030, and empower actors at every level of Minnesota State, system and campus leaders need to fully embrace data democratization. Without access to data that can guide discovery of equity gaps within the context of their own work, faculty and staff lack critical information. When educators use data to guide inquiry and action, they can check any assumptions or biases they may have as well as understand if a change they are making is effective in closing the gap or addressing the need. Data security and ethical and responsible use must be emphasized, but data democratization calls for intentional examination of institutional policies to ensure people have the information they need to identify, implement, and evaluate changes in their approaches to create more equitable outcomes. To advance the work of Equity 2030, Minnesota State is working to review policies and practices around data sharing, specifically with faculty and staff, as well as working to create resources and training to support ethical and appropriate use of data to support student success. This article will establish the current state of efforts at the system office level, including an upcoming multi‐year transition to a new system‐wide enterprise resource planning platform and complications arising from the centralized collection and maintenance of institution‐level data within the system office, as well as outline the strategic and tactical approach to democratizing data while maintaining security and confidentiality.

Considerations for a Planned Democratizing Data Framework for Valid and Trusted Data

“…Enhances the mechanisms, improves the ease, and elevates the way in which people in the organization access and interact with data Hinds et al [34] Is a philosophy of guiding data-informed decision-making by deliberately fostering access to and use of appropriate data throughout organizations. There are many policies, practices, approaches, and skills that need to be thoughtfully and intentionally developed to support data democratization responsibly Samarasinghe, Lokuge, & Snell [35] An ongoing process that broadens access to data and facilitates employees to find, access, self-analyze, and share data without additional support Journal of Data Analysis and Information Processing Continued Marinakis et al [36] data democratization is the process of bringing digital information to the average, non-expert end user.…”