Authority

The responsibility of the Data and Tools Advisory Board is to examine whether the data system is providing actionable information and identifying ways to improve access to that information.^[1]

Selection Criteria

Pursuant to the Governance Manual, “in order to ensure that Advisory Board members represent the public, starting in fiscal year 2024, a person who works for an organization or person represented on the Governing Board may not be selected to serve on an Advisory Board. An organization is defined as a state agency or representative of a segment (such as Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities), as opposed to providers that report to an agency (for example, a representative from a specific University of California would be eligible to serve, even though the University of California Office of the President is represented on the Governing Board).” For more information about the organizations and individuals represented on the Governing Board, please visit the C2C website.  

Membership and Terms

The Data and Tools Advisory Board members shall consist of 16 public members, appointed by the Governing Board. The Data and Tools Advisory Board members will consist of end users of the data including practitioners, families, students, adult learners and workers, community organization staff, research organization staff, and advocacy organization staff.

While Data and Tools Advisory Board members are appointed as individuals based on their experiences, expertise, and perspectives, an Advisory Board member or applicant shall not be employed by an entity with representation on the Governing Board, as outlined in the selection criteria. 

Data and Tools Advisory Board members serve three year terms and serve no more than one consecutive term.

Representatives of specific institutions serve no more than one consecutive term and can only have one seat on the Data and Tools Advisory Board at a time.

Advisory Board members must be California residents^[2] and shall be subject to the requirements of the California Political Reform Act, including the C2C’s Conflict of Interest Policy, and Form 700 filing requirement.

Meetings

• Data and Tools Advisory Board meetings will occur at least three times a year. Tentative meeting dates include a member orientation on August 22, 2025, and Data and Tools Advisory Board meetings on October 3, 2025, March 2026, July 2026, and October 2026.   
• In addition to regular meetings, the Data and Tools Advisory Board may establish subcommittees as needed.
• All meetings are subject to the provisions of the Bagley-Keene Act.

Member Expectations and Responsibilities

All members of the Data and Tools Advisory Board are expected to attend meetings and advocate for the Cradle-to-Career System with key stakeholders.

Through feedback provided in meetings, the Data and Tools Advisory Board members will provide suggestions to the Governing Board and the Office, including, but not limited to:

• The usability, accessibility, and usefulness of dashboard visualizations
• Operational tools
• Data points to include in centralized data sets

Each year, the Data and Tools Advisory Board will also review all prior data requests from the researcher data request process to facilitate the continuous improvement of the data request process and ensure that it is clear, transparent, fair, and efficient, including identifying mechanisms that would enable appropriate data requests to be fulfilled.

When there are significant gaps regarding whether the data system is providing access to actionable information, the Data and Tools Advisory Board may develop recommendations for the Governing Board on which tools to provide or which data points to include in centralized data sets.

At the Fall Advisory Board meeting, Advisory Board members may bring forward proposals for ways to address the significant gap.

Prior to the Spring Advisory Board meeting, the Governing Board’s Liaison to the Advisory Board, along with up to two Advisory Board members, will draft a report that links to all proposals members submitted, summarizes the discussion at the Fall meeting, and includes the Office of Cradle-to-Career Data’s light-touch feasibility write ups. 

At the spring Advisory Board meeting, the Advisory Board will discuss the draft report and share any comments or reflections on the overall report in the meeting. The Governing Board’s Liaison may update the report based on the discussion at the Spring meeting, if desired. At the Governing Board’s May meeting, the Governing Board Liaison and one or more Advisory Board members will share the report with the Governing Board, which can inform the Governing Board’s work and deliberations.

Members will be required to:

• Attend two in-person meetings in Sacramento per year and one virtual meeting (note: reimbursement will be provided for travel within the State of California. Reimbursement covers public transportation, mileage, parking, as well as airfare and hotel for those located more than 100 miles away.)
• Review draft documents in advance of meetings
• Gather input from and share information with other data experts
• Complete all required paperwork and trainings forms

Selection

Advisory Board members will be selected to ensure a broad representation of perspectives and expertise that will inform the resources developed by C2C. Specific desired characteristics include:

• Experience with and understanding of how data and data tools impact the lived experiences of end users
• Familiarity with state data sets and the way information is gathered and ability to ensure that accurate and aligned data can be integrated into the analytical tools (the dashboards, query builder tool, and data set available for research requests)
• Experience with conducting analyses using education-related data (particularly K-12, community colleges, universities, teacher training, and employment data)
• Ability to commit time to review materials, solicit input from other data experts, and participate in Advisory Board meetings
• Willingness to work collaboratively toward common solutions

^[1] Education Code Section 10865(b)(1)(A).

^[2] Government Code Section 1062.

Application