Across higher education, institutions have more data than ever, but turning it into actionable insights for advisors remains a challenge. DataKind’s Edvise transforms complex data into practical guidance, helping advisors identify students who may need support and connect them with the right resources. Combined with the National Student Clearinghouse’s Postsecondary Data Partnership (PDP), Edvise maximizes existing data, streamlines onboarding, and lowers barriers to data-driven student support. We spoke with Marlowe Johnson, Head of Product at the Clearinghouse, to explore how this partnership is shaping the future of student success.
Across higher education, institutions face the urgent challenge of helping more students reach graduation while managing limited advising capacity and rising demands for data-driven decisions. While data exists in abundance, the real hurdle is transforming it into actionable insights that advisors can use every day to guide and support students.
That’s where DataKind’s Edvise comes in. The platform translates complex data into clear, timely guidance, giving advisors practical tools to identify students who may need extra support and connect them with the right resources. Its impact grows even stronger through partnerships that make adoption seamless and scalable.
Enter the National Student Clearinghouse, a trusted source for postsecondary data nationwide. Through its Postsecondary Data Partnership (PDP), hundreds of institutions already access standardized, actionable data. By aligning with PDP standards, Edvise builds on this foundation, minimizing onboarding, maximizing value from existing data, and expanding opportunities for advisors to make a measurable difference.
Together, DataKind and the Clearinghouse lower barriers to predictive analytics and enable institutions to support students effectively without extra data submission or technical overhaul. To explore what this collaboration means for the field, we spoke with Marlowe Johnson, Head of Product, at the Clearinghouse, about the PDP, the power of partnership, and the future of data-driven student success.
The National Student Clearinghouse has long been a trusted source for postsecondary data across the country. Can you share more about the Clearinghouse’s role in supporting student success efforts at scale – and what sets your Postsecondary Data Partnership (PDP) platform apart?
The Clearinghouse’s PDP empowers institutions with comprehensive, actionable insights to help institutions improve student outcomes. Unlike traditional datasets, PDP includes all new students, not just full-time fall freshmen. It also provides early momentum metrics to help identify at-risk learners sooner. In addition, participating institutions have access to interactive dashboards, peer benchmarking, and streamlined reporting, making it easier to turn insights into meaningful action at scale.
With a significant portion of U.S. institutions participating in your platform, how do you see partnerships – like the one with DataKind – unlocking new value from existing data infrastructure?
Partnerships like the one between the Clearinghouse and DataKind will enable hundreds of participating institutions to realize greater value from PDP’s data by transforming it into even more actionable insights. By integrating DataKind’s Edvise platform with PDP’s data structure, institutions can move beyond data collection to more timely and data-informed decision-making. For institutions considering Edvise, joining the PDP offers a secure and FERPA-compliant way to share data with their trusted partners, like DataKind.
DataKind’s Edvise is now compatible with PDP’s data submission standards. Why is that significant for institutions already working with you?
Edvise’s compatibility with PDP’s data structure enables institutions to immediately leverage the platform’s robust capabilities using the data they already submit. Because this alignment also streamlines onboarding and minimizes technical lift, institutions can focus more on supporting students and less on system integration.
One challenge for colleges – especially broad access institutions – is limited capacity to adopt new technology. How does this partnership lower the barrier to entry for using data to drive student outcomes?
Our partnership makes it easy to get started by offering a high value solution that requires minimum effort and works seamlessly with existing data and systems. Advisors at PDP institutions can begin using Edvise with fewer than 15 hours of onboarding, without the need for a data science team or technical overhaul.
From your perspective, how does Edvise help institutions make better use of the data they’re already submitting to the Clearinghouse? Can you share how this adds value without requiring extra efforts from schools?
Because Edvise leverages PDP’s analysis-ready files to generate tailored student support insights, no additional data submission is required. Institutions can prioritize outreach, personalize advising, and improve outcomes using the same data they already provide to the Clearinghouse, making the value immediate and scalable.
How can the PDP facilitate statewide impact in higher education, and how can DataKind and Edvise leverage this for greater effect?
The PDP’s standardized metrics and dashboards enable states to monitor progress across institutions and identify gaps. By layering Edvise’s capabilities on top of PDP data, states and systems can deploy targeted interventions faster and more effectively – amplifying the reach and impact of student success initiatives.
What excites you most about this collaboration and the potential it unlocks for advisors and student support teams nationwide?
We’re thrilled to see advisors and student support teams gain access to tools that truly meet them where they are. The collaboration between the Clearinghouse and DataKind brings together trusted data and cutting-edge analytics to help more students thrive. Student-level data is shared in a secure manner by default that puts data security at the hands of institutions. The institution names DataKind as an Authorized Institution and is the one that decides if the data is run through the Edvise platform. No processing of their data occurs unless the institution triggers it.
Looking ahead, how do you see partnerships like this shaping the future of student success and data-driven decision-making in higher education?
Partnerships like ours represent the future of higher education: data-driven, focused on student success, and human-centered. By combining PDP’s robust data with Edvise’s intuitive insights, we’re helping institutions shift from reactive to proactive support and reshaping how student success is defined and delivered.
Marlowe Johnson is the Head of Product at the National Student Clearinghouse, where he leads efforts to advance the Postsecondary Data Partnership and the StudentTracker suite of services. (Image courtesy of National Student Clearinghouse.)
Header image above courtesy of istock/PeopleImages.
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