Public Agenda and The HEA Group Partner to Transform Transparency and Economic Mobility in California Higher Education
June 24, 2026
Public Agenda and The HEA Group today announced a two-year collaborative initiative to improve data transparency and economic mobility across California’s higher education landscape. Supported by ECMC Foundation, the project addresses critical information gaps regarding postsecondary earnings, equips state and institutional leaders to adapt to a changing economy, and strengthens the state’s data infrastructure to empower both students and administrators.
California’s higher education system serves more than two million students. However, policymakers and institutional leaders often lack accessible, nuanced data on employment outcomes after college. This need has grown urgent following new federal accountability requirements that mandate undergraduate programs to demonstrate graduate earnings that outpace the state’s median high school graduates.
“Employment and earnings are not the only important outcomes of higher education, but the capacity to earn a good living is essential, especially for students whose families do not have great wealth,” said Andrew J. Seligsohn, President of Public Agenda. “In collaboration with our colleagues from The HEA Group, we will paint a clearer picture of the opportunities learners can expect from various programs, which will help them make decisions—and help higher education leaders make improvements.”
“California has been at the forefront of expanding educational opportunity and economic mobility, making it the ideal place to demonstrate what’s possible when data are translated into actionable insights,” said Michael Itzkowitz, Founder and President of The HEA Group. “Our partnership with Public Agenda allows us to build upon the infrastructure and evidence needed to understand what’s working for students and, even more so, why that’s the case.”
Public Agenda and The HEA Group will deliver five complementary portfolios of work to drive continuous institutional improvement:
Data-Driven Programmatic Action Reports
The initiative will produce four reports analyzing programmatic earnings outcomes using U.S. Department of Education data. All underlying data will be made public to benefit the broader education ecosystem:
Partnership Planning Guide for Higher Education and Industry
Public Agenda will select three programs to identify high, medium, and low-performing campuses among the highest-enrolling program types in the CSU and community college systems. Using statistical modeling, researchers will analyze staffing, curricula, and work-based learning, while conducting interviews with faculty and focus groups with alumni to publish a practical guide for industry partnerships.
Publish three analyses using California’s Cradle-to-Career (C2C) data system to increase visibility and translate the value of the system
The HEA Group will publish three demonstration reports highlighting how California’s young C2C longitudinal data system can be transformed into actionable information for system leaders. Additionally, the partners will provide regular technical advice to C2C leadership on data presentation, privacy protocols, and minimizing data suppression.
Enhance infrastructure within California’s C2C data system to enable assessment of outcomes and economic mobility across student backgrounds
The HEA Group will serve as a regular advisor to C2C leadership and staff, leveraging its expertise in federal data systems through triennial meetings and on-demand technical support. In this role, the group will provide recommendations on measuring student outcomes, safely disaggregating data for diverse student populations, and advancing future data releases. Additionally, they will provide C2C with recommendations on the most effective ways to present and disseminate this data to the general public.
Strategic Communications and Institutional Briefings
Following the release of each report, the partners will provide individualized briefings and strategic consultations to campus leadership teams to help them integrate the findings into institutional decision-making. The project will also execute a multi-channel media strategy targeting key publications to advance the public discourse on the economic value of higher education.
About Public Agenda
Public Agenda is a national research-to-action organization that digs deep into the key challenges facing our democracy to uncover insights and solutions. Founded in 1975 by the social scientist and public opinion research pioneer Dan Yankelovich and former Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, we engage with advocates, journalists, policymakers, and the philanthropic community to ensure public voice is heard in conversations that shape our shared future.
About The HEA Group
The HEA Group is a research and policy organization focused on college access, value, and economic mobility. College is one of the biggest investments of a student’s lifetime. With expertise in high-impact research, policy, and government advocacy, The HEA Group helps ensure that investment pays off for more students.
About ECMC Foundation
ECMC Foundation is a national foundation whose North Star goal is to eliminate gaps in postsecondary completion by 2040. The Foundation uses a spectrum of funding structures, including strategic grantmaking and program-related investments through Education Innovation Ventures, to invest in both nonprofit and for-profit ventures. In pursuit of system change, the Foundation’s grantmaking and investing are concentrated on the following three strategic priorities: removing barriers to postsecondary completion; building the capacity of organizations, institutions, and systems; and transforming the postsecondary ecosystem.
