I remember when I started in my role at The Attainment Network five years ago and my new CEO Therese Ivancovich told me on my first day that our organization's ultimate standard for our pathways programming success would be measured by a learner's wage and employment outcomes. Being my first day, I made a note and may or may not have underlined it and put an emphatic question mark next to it. 

I had been working in educational data systems in Colorado for over 12 years at that point and was deeply familiar with all the standard metrics like benchmark assessments, accountability, graduation, and postsecondary enrollment, persistence, and completion. But wage and employment data for educational programming? To be honest, I felt like I was suddenly thrust into a quest for a unicorn... I really didn't know if it was possible. It turns out I had a lot to learn, and I was in just the right place to do it. And, I couldn't have known this 5 years ago, but my timing was incredibly fortuitous – I was stepping out of my traditionally siloed education data background and into a quickly evolving education-to-workforce space right as momentum was growing and real policy and systems change was starting to chip away at the historically segmented data ecosystem. 

What's Been Happening 

For decades, Colorado — and most the country — has invested in education and pathways programming without a complete view of what happens next for learners. Historically, we have done a pretty good job defining and measuring whether a learner finishes something, whether it’s a certificate, credential, or diploma. What we never really had access to is whether students actually find good jobs once they finish. We couldn’t answer questions like which programs are opening doors or where gaps exist in outcomes? The underlying data across our state systems have traditionally been really challenging to connect, but Colorado now has a system that prioritizes sustainability, security, and critical governance structures. 

The Governor's Office of Information Technology (OIT) has released Colorado’s first Education and Workforce Pathways Dashboard, a public tool that connects high school, postsecondary, training, and workforce data — the unicorn I once thought I would never see. It is also the first public product of COdata, Colorado’s statewide longitudinal data system created through House Bill 24-1364. 

Why This Matters 

Until now, Colorado’s education and workforce data have often lived in separate systems. That made it difficult to understand how learners move across school, training, work, and life. It also left some of the most important questions unanswered: which programs lead to high-value jobs, whether students across the state can access pathways that work, and how outcomes differ by region and background. 

The new dashboard changes that. For the first time, Colorado can begin looking at its own students’ journeys after high school — into college, training, and employment — using a state-specific picture rather than relying on national averages or disconnected snapshots. 

For the Better Data for Better Decisions Coalition, which I help steward, this is the first real deliverable aligned to our vision to help make informed decisions on education and training programs statewide. We see this launch as much more than a dashboard — it is the start of a clearer, more connected picture of opportunity in Colorado. 

What the Dashboard Shows 

HB24-1364 directed the state to report enrollment and outcome data, including postsecondary enrollment, success, and wage outcomes for postsecondary and workforce-readiness programs. The system also goes beyond those requirements by including wage outcomes for traditional postsecondary programs and wage growth for apprenticeships. 



Where available, users can explore data by education provider type, including schools, districts, postsecondary institutions, and workforce training providers. The dashboard also includes demographic breakouts, reporting aggregated results so that people can access useful information securely and accurately. 

Colorado Is Catching Up — and Moving Fast 

Colorado authorized COdata in 2024 and required state agencies to begin contributing data in 2025-26. With this first public reporting, the state joins a national movement toward connected education and workforce data. And it's important to point out that Colorado has made tremendous progress in record time: 

“Every state collects this data. Far fewer have connected it, and fewer still have put it where the public can see it. Colorado has done all three in a remarkably short period of time,” said Kate Shirley Akers, PhD, vice president of policy implementation and best practices at the Data Quality Campaign. “This is what it looks like when a state decides its data should work for the people navigating education and careers, not just for the agencies holding it.” 

That kind of progress takes more than technology. It requires strong policy, data governance, legal expertise, committed leadership, and a shared belief that public information should help students, families, educators, employers, and policymakers make better decisions. 

A First Look at Connected Data 

The dashboard gives Coloradans access to connected data they have not had before. Agencies that need to work together can now draw from the same secure source, reducing duplicated collection and reporting while making it easier to answer basic questions about learner outcomes. 

COdata is not a single repository of student records. Instead, it links existing data held by contributing agencies and is governed by a cross-agency board that includes public members. A single point of access can make the system more secure while supporting better research and more relevant public insights. I believe the investment also sets up an extremely valuable, secure, and multi-use infrastructure to support myriad state reporting needs, programmatic data requests, and funding and investment decisions, both private and public in nature. 

What Comes Next 

This launch is just the beginning of the deep value interconnected data can offer. The COdata governing board has approved a phased roadmap, and the system will continue adding data sources and reporting over the coming months. From the Better Data for Better Decisions Coalition perspective, we will continue to work with our partners at the state to lift up the vision, translate it to the community, and advocate for its potential to ensure the long-term sustainability of this resource for our state. 

As more data becomes available, educators will be better able to see whether students are enrolling in college, completing credentials, and finding stable employment. Businesses will gain a clearer view of their talent pipeline. Policymakers will have better information about whether investments in education and workforce development are paying off — and where the state may need to adjust course. 

“This is an exciting start to something that will become a powerful tool for learners and earners — and for the educators, employers, policymakers, philanthropists and community leaders working together to expand opportunity and economic mobility across Colorado,” said Rana Tarkenton, CEO of The Attainment Network. “What launches today gives us a strong foundation.” 

Five years ago, I stepped into a space that was envisioning something I wasn't sure was possible — to be able to measure if the programs we think are helping learners in their career journeys actually do help them. Today, I am proud to celebrate the progress we have made as a state and an ecosystem and excited for all the coming milestones as this vision continually pushes what I thought was possible. 

About the Better Data for Better Decisions Coalition 

The Better Data for Better Decisions Coalition unites education and workforce organizations from across Colorado to support the statewide longitudinal data system (SLDS) that empowers informed decision-making and smart investments. The coalition is committed to advancing a secure, relevant, accurate, and user-centered system that reflects the needs of Colorado’s students, educators, and employers. Email Stefan Richarz if you’re interested in learning more!