Matthew Hendricks: Tracking Dollars, Data, and Educational Outcomes
Higher Ed Now welcomes\xa0Matthew Hendricks,\xa0the founder of Perspective\xa0Data Science, a small data consulting firm that specializes in education finance and policy analytics.\xa0Professor Hendricks previously served as the Chair of the Department of Economics at The University of Tulsa. For over\xa012 years, he has been engaged in education policy research at all levels of education, including Head\xa0Start programming, pre-K-12 grade policies, and higher education finance policy. His research on the impacts of changes in base salaries on teacher productivity has been published in the\xa0Journal of Public Economics\xa0and\xa0Economics of Education Review.
Professor Hendricks\u2019s latest work intends to promote financial stability and improve student outcomes in higher education. To do so, he is working with struggling institutions to promote transparency among\xa0stakeholders and help school administrators and board members make better policy decisions. Part of that work includes creating college benchmarking dashboards, interpreting the data, and disseminating key findings.\xa0
Anna Sillers, ACTA's Data Analyst Fellow for Trustee & Government Affairs, met with Professor Hendricks to explore how his innovative dashboards can help faculty, administrators, alumni, and trustees better understand an institution\u2019s finances \u2013 ensuring that when educational dollars are spent, they can provide the best outcomes for students.