The Politics of Basic Skills Research: Data Driven Decision Making in Times of Budget Scarcity

The use of data to drive enrollment management and programming decisions is critical, and institutional research offices play a pivotal role in the dissemination of relevant and timely data. Sometimes data can be the “means to justify an end,” and sometimes data can provide a revelatory finding that accelerates a decision to make a change (a “means to justify a quicker end”). This presentation describes the use of cost‐benefit reports on basic skills instruction and how they provided evidence of economic inefficiencies at one college. The reports were used by college leaders to justify programmatic cuts in course offerings – cuts that were opposed by students and faculty. The presentation outlines the political nature of data in times of budget scarcity, sketching out the impact institutional research can have on programs, faculty, and staffing levels.