Theme & Tracks 

Building an Inclusive Future for Student Success

RP Conference 2025 calls on institutional research, planning, and effectiveness (IRPE) professionals to lead bold and innovative efforts in shaping a more just, equitable, and inclusive educational system. This conference provides an opportunity for IRPE professionals at all levels to leverage their roles to challenge the structures that uphold inequitable outcomes and experiences for minoritized and disproportionately impacted students by uplifting student voices and advocating for practices that transform institutional culture and outcomes. Together, we will confront systemic barriers, fostering a more inclusive future in which every student can thrive.

This year’s conference sessions are organized within three tracks.

• Planning & Institutional Effectiveness

• Research & Evaluation

• RP Toolbox

Planning & Institutional Effectiveness

The Planning & Institutional Effectiveness track showcases projects, tools, and approaches that address the challenge of integrating improvement efforts in college planning, resource prioritization, governance, initiatives, structures, and processes to embed institutional equity. Proposals that intentionally address antiracism and intersectionality are highly encouraged.

The topics of this year’s track include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Developing, fostering, and fortifying an equity-focused culture that guides planning across the institution

• Developing and integrating institutional equity goals, objectives, and key performance indicators to inform planning

• Facilitating difficult conversations about student equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility

• Advancing and assessing inclusive campus culture

• Exploring biases in institutional structures and processes (e.g., hiring processes, professional development)

• Linking research and planning with budget and resource allocation using an equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility lens

• Defining “institutional effectiveness” for system-wide equity

• Organizing, implementing, and evaluating guided student pathways for transformational change and equitable systemic change

• Evaluating programs, processes, and systems to inform improvement efforts using an equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility lens

• Implementing effective organizational change to achieve equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility goals (e.g., promising practices, strategies, plans, or frameworks)

Research & Evaluation

The Research & Evaluation track aims to showcase impactful equity-focused research studies, tools, and strategies to support new and seasoned institutional research/institutional effectiveness professionals. This track highlights effective methods for conducting and conveying equity-related findings for historically underrepresented populations and initiatives with non-academic barriers—e.g., adult learners, Strong Workforce, SEAP, Guided Pathways, homeless students, LGBTQIA+ students, veterans, foster youth, students with disabilities. Proposals that intentionally address antiracism and intersectionality are highly encouraged.

The topics in this track include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Applying methods for disaggregating data to effectively assess equitable student access and outcomes

• Exploring methods for collecting, highlighting, and sharing student stories

• Designing inclusive qualitative research studies (such as focus groups) that amplify student voices

• Showcasing effective practices that lead to equitable student achievement

• Leveraging the student voice in equity-focused activities and evaluation efforts

• Leveraging IRPE positionality to convey research findings and facilitate conversations about data that incorporate an equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility lens

• Leveraging software and other tools for data visualization and sharing the equity data story

• Exploring and understanding unconscious bias

• Analyzing student loss and momentum points, including identifying intermediate metrics to measure student progress and success with an equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility focus

RP Toolbox:

The RP Toolbox track aims to showcase and demonstrate practical tools, research methods, approaches, software, and other resources for new and experienced institutional researchers and planners. Proposals that intentionally address antiracism and intersectionality are highly encouraged.

Sessions in this track will feature interactive activities and discussions and may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Navigating institutional governance structures and processes focused on equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility

• Exploring and sharing data insights with visualizations that focus on equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility

• Sharing analytical approaches, research methods, and statistical software that focus on equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility

• Demonstrating qualitative data collection and analysis methods, tools, and software that focus on equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility

• Showcasing tools or methods for addressing statewide initiatives or accountability mandates (such as the following) through an equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility lens:

  • AB-705 & AB-1705

  • Dual Enrollment

  • Guided Pathways

  • Incarcerated & Formerly Incarcerated Students

  • Non-Credit to Credit/Diploma

  • Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM)

  • Student Centered Funding Formula

  • Strong Workforce/Career Education

  • Vision 2030

  • Vision-Aligned Goals