| Title: |
Selling Student Success: A Critical Analysis of Predictive Analytics Vendors in Higher Education. EdWorkingPaper No. 25-1349 |
| Language: |
English |
| Authors: |
Catalina Vasquez; Denisa Gándara; Zorayda Sánchez; Sergio Nuñez; Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University |
| Source: |
Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. 2025. |
| Availability: |
Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Brown University Box 1985, Providence, RI 02912. Tel: 401-863-7990; Fax: 401-863-1290; e-mail: annenberg@brown.edu; Web site: https://annenberg.brown.edu/ |
| Peer Reviewed: |
N |
| Page Count: |
43 |
| Publication Date: |
2025 |
| Document Type: |
Reports - Research |
| Education Level: |
Higher Education; Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: |
Vendors; Higher Education; Prediction; Data Analysis; Marketing; Business; Success; Problems; Problem Solving; Web Sites; At Risk Students; Decision Making; Discourse Analysis |
| Abstract: |
As predictive analytics become increasingly embedded in higher education, commercial vendors offering these tools play a growing role in shaping institutional decision making, particularly through identifying students deemed "at risk." In this qualitative study, we analyzed 161 publicly available materials from 15 vendors to examine these companies' marketing of predictive analytics. Drawing on Snow and Benford's (1988) framing theory, we investigated how they construct the problem of student success and how they position their products as solutions. Findings from our thematic analysis are: (1) vendors primarily frame the problem their products address as one of institutional finances; (2) vendors acknowledge structural barriers but rarely recognize students' strengths; (3) proposed solutions to challenges to students' success do not always align with problem framing. Although vendors frequently invoke equity-oriented language to position their tools as student-centered, our analysis reveals an emphasis on financial value for institutions and a limited engagement with students' assets, ultimately narrowing pathways for supporting students' success. [This research was supported by an LA4Equity grant and a Spencer Vision Grant.] |
| Abstractor: |
As Provided |
| Entry Date: |
2026 |
| Accession Number: |
ED678323 |
| Database: |
ERIC |