# The Strategic Data Project releases Education to Workforce Pathways Diagnostic Toolkit to promote student success and economic opportunities June 04, 2024 *The diagnostic toolkit will add analytic capacity to education agencies with limited time and resources, enabling them to capitalize on state longitudinal data systems to inform decision making.* June 4, 2024— By 2031, [72 percent of jobs](http://cew.georgetown.edu/Projections2031.) in the U.S. will require some form of postsecondary education. The spiking demand for college-educated workers will necessitate addressing gaps between the current number of qualified adults and workforce needs. Every state education agency, college and college system, and school district should be working to understand students’ movements from K-12, to and through college, and into the workforce—and where students may need the most support along the way. Only recently have states and districts been able to link individual-level data across systems to make these patterns visible. The Strategic Data Project (SDP) at the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University aims to accelerate that effort by releasing its [SDP Education to Workforce Pathways Diagnostic Toolkit](https://sdp.cepr.harvard.edu/p20w-diagnostic-toolkit). The toolkit aims to help education data leaders leverage newly modernized longitudinal data systems and provide senior leadership with analyses about pathways education to the workforce. Using the SDP Pathways Diagnostic Toolkit, education analysts will be able to generate informative visualizations that address key questions about students’ progression. "SDP has trained and supported more than 1,000 education data leaders over the last fifteen years. Too many of them are struggling to answer the same complex questions on their own,” shared SDP Senior Director Miriam Greenberg. “We thought it was time to make it easier for all states and districts to answer these mission-critical questions about student pathways without reinventing the wheel.” Consisting of an overview guide (the analysis narrative), a technical guide, and analysis code, the diagnostic toolkit can help answer whether states are on track to meet their education attainment goals, who needs support enrolling in college, who needs additional support making it through college, and who earns a livable wage. Answering these questions in an accurate, local, and timely way can help education leaders and policymakers better understand patterns in student college going, attainment, and earnings, and make strategic decisions about how to help all students succeed and how to target supports towards the points in the pathway where students may be faltering. “The education sector has never been in a better position to use data to support student success,” said Greenberg. “We hope this open-source toolkit makes it easier for education leaders to see what is happening in their communities.” **Learn more:** **[Join the SDP mailing list](https://sdp.cepr.harvard.edu/subscribe)** to be the first to know about SDP’s tools and resources. **Contact**: Rachel Tropp, CEPR Communications Specialist ([rachel\_tropp@gse.harvard.edu](mailto:rachel_tropp@gse.harvard.edu)) # **About the Strategic Data Project** Harvard's Strategic Data Project (SDP) 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 215 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, based at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, 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. See also:- [ Postsecondary Access & Success ](/focus-areas/postsecondary-access-and-success) - [ Press Releases ](/press-releases) - [ Strategic Data Project ](/project-name/strategic-data-project) - [ 2024 ](/year/2024) Share on:- [ Facebook ](#) - [ Twitter ](#) - [ Linkedin ](#)