Communities of Practice: Developing Financial Aid Metrics in State Data Systems

State postsecondary education data systems are vital information assets for policymakers, researchers, and the public. The Communities of Practice project (funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) at the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) builds upon SHEEO's ongoing efforts to measure the capacity and effective use of state postsecondary data systems and provides states with opportunities to develop solutions to common issues with those systems. Since the fall of 2017, SHEEO has held an ongoing series of Communities of Practice convenings. The April 2019 convening, "Developing Guided Pathways and Financial Aid Metrics in State Data Systems," was held in Seattle, Washington. Day One of the convening included presentations from leading scholars about understanding financial aid data, as well as examples of state data systems currently collecting this information and providing it in meaningful ways to consumers (potential students and their families). This white paper highlights key themes and findings for the student financial aid segment of the convening and suggests topics for further consideration. Case studies from Minnesota and Ohio are also included. A companion white paper, "Communities of Practice: Developing Guided Pathways Metrics in State Data Systems" (ED603953) details information from the guided pathways section of the Communities of Practice convening.