Dive Brief:
- Hobsons — a provider of college and career readiness, enrollment management, and student success solutions — has acquired the Predictive Analytics Reporting Framework Inc.
- PAR is a national membership collaborative of more than 24 institutions that helps colleges and universities analyze data to improve student outcomes, including retention and graduation rates.
- Hobsons expects to integrate PAR insights into Starfish Retention Solutions, which it acquired last February — the latest acquisition will allow for greater scale in delivering “actionable intelligence and interventions,” according to the company.
Dive Insight:
Hobsons recognized a thirst in the higher education market for data analytics capabilities. Colleges and universities have begun to tap into big data for decision-making about academic supports. PAR’s services include measuring the impact of student success interventions and predicting which students are at risk of failing.
Many institutions have developed internal capacity for data analytics, especially as state funding is increasingly tied to performance, rather than just enrollment. Services like PAR make it easier for institutions to get this work off the ground. And the nonprofit collaborative provides a connection across institutions, helping colleges and universities learn from each other’s challenges and breakthroughs.