A new grant awarded to the Coleridge Initiative from ECMC Foundation will develop a collaborative data network that seeks to enhance partnerships and improve educational, workforce, and economic outcomes in the Appalachian and Delta Regions. The nearly $750,000 grant will support the establishment of the Regional Learner Data Collaborative (RLDC), a data infrastructure which will build understanding of how learner outcomes impact economic development and labor markets in these regions. The catalyzing work will be housed within Coleridge's FedRAMP-authorized, cloud based Administrative Data Research Facility (ADRF).

"States in the Appalachian and Delta regions bring strengths and shared opportunities to advance educational attainment and economic prosperity, even as they continue to confront long-standing regional challenges," said Dr. Ahu Yildirmaz, President and CEO of the Coleridge Initiative. “Thanks to the generosity of ECMC Foundation, this project will bring together education and economic development leaders across state lines to create comprehensive shared ecosystems, leverage these strengths, and align labor market demand and supply.”

Through the project, Coleridge will engage and facilitate development of a consortium of Appalachian and Delta states to participate in the pilot, construct a collaborative learning agenda to guide the work, detail data needed for data sharing agreements, and outline governance for sustainable infrastructure. It will also produce an implementation plan for a Regional Learner Data Collaborative with sustained governance and data use within the ADRF, and a pathway to expanding to new states in the Appalachian and Delta regions.

The work will be guided by state partner input to ensure that data products are equipped to effectively guide decision making that supports learner outcomes, labor markets, and the goals of the region now and into the future.