A COMPASS FOR CREATIVE VALUE REPORT 2026A Compass for Creative Value: How Art and Design Colleges Can Use Data to Understand Institutional Health, Demonstrate Impact, and Make Better Decisions is Chalk and Compass’s independent companion to the Institute for Higher Education Policy’s (IHEP) How to Measure What Matters: A Practical Guide to Assessing Postsecondary Value. It translates IHEP’s approach to evaluating postsecondary value into the context of art and design education, where freelance work, entrepreneurship, continuing education, and creative practice can complicate conventional measures of graduate success.
The report helps schools bring economic outcomes, creative practice, and mission impact into a fuller picture of institutional value. It includes a six-step process, a program health dashboard, illustrative examples, and companion worksheets to help teams organize evidence, identify gaps, and turn findings into action. Designed for institutional leaders, faculty, and staff, it supports meaningful assessment, informed program decisions, and clearer communication with students, families, trustees, and other stakeholders.
