Turning data into opportunity: The ASU Helios Decision Center for Educational Excellence
How a data-driven partnership is enhancing student success and transforming Arizona’s education system
When Helios Education Foundation and Arizona State University launched the ASU Helios Decision Center for Educational Excellence in 2018, they envisioned a state-of-the-art partnership — one that would put Arizona at the forefront of education data and analysis. At the time, it was considered a bold and risky move.
Arizona’s education institutions had long faced challenges to effectively sharing data, and previous efforts to create integrated systems had struggled to gain traction. But ASU President Michael Crow and Helios President and CEO Paul J. Luna believed a different approach was possible: bring all the data together, analyze it rigorously, and use it to help Arizona reach its ambitious postsecondary attainment goal of 60% by 2030.
Just a few years later, the ASU Helios Decision Center for Educational Excellence has become exactly what its founders envisioned — a leading source for education data and analysis that identifies the most direct path to increasing Arizona’s postsecondary completion rate.
As one of Helios’ largest investments in its 20-year history, the ASU Helios Decision Center is now a cornerstone of systemic change in Arizona’s education system.
The evaluation of the ASU Helios Decision Center
From the start, the ASU Helios Decision Center focused on making data practically useful, working closely with state agencies, school districts, and educators to solve real-world challenges. An early breakthrough — a partnership with the Arizona Department of Education — demonstrated how data could drive innovative solutions. By helping ADE analyze its own data and address priority issues, the ASU Helios Decision Center showcased the power of collaboration and impact-focused research.
Since then, the ASU Helios Decision Center has become Arizona’s leading source for education data and visualization, combining ASU’s research expertise with Helios’ deep connections to the education community to turn data into actionable insights. These insights and tools come to life in the Helios Decision Theater — a state-of-the-art, immersive space with panoramic, interactive screens that help stakeholders explore scenarios, test solutions, and make informed decisions.
These accomplishments have not gone unnoticed. The ASU Helios Decision Center’s growing influence and effectiveness have been recognized locally and nationally. In 2023, it received the ASU President’s Medal for Social Embeddedness, and in 2024, Forbes Magazine highlighted the Center for its innovative work advancing higher education opportunities through partnerships and data-driven solutions.
How the ASU Helios Decision Center measures success
One of the ASU Helios Decision Center’s most transformative contributions has been redefining what student success looks like, measuring it not just by test scores, but by how students perform after they leave school.
When Chandler Unified School District asked whether its students were truly prepared for college, the ASU Helios Decision Center created the Postsecondary Feedback Report, a tool that tracks graduates’ performance in dual enrollment, community college, and university courses. What began in a single district is now used by more than 90% of Arizona high schools.
Building on this longitudinal approach, the Center developed ViSTA (Visualization of Student Trajectory and Achievement), which helps middle and high schools collaborate to ensure smooth transitions and support student success as they progress through grades.
By enabling schools to view students’ full educational journeys, the ASU Helios Decision Center explores the interconnectedness of the education system, empowering them to improve outcomes at every stage.
Breaking down barriers to college
One of the most impactful initiatives to emerge from the ASU Helios Decision Center’s work is the Personalized Admissions Project.
It began with a question from Phoenix Union High School District: “You say our students are admissible to ASU, but they’ll never apply. Why don’t you just accept them?”
That simple but powerful question sparked a statewide initiative to proactively admit qualified students to Arizona’s public universities — even before they apply. What started in one district now reaches more than half of Arizona’s high school seniors, with students receiving early acceptance letters from all three state universities.
Thousands of students have been admitted to college through this groundbreaking effort, including students who may not have considered higher education as an option for them.
Empowering Arizona educators and leaders
The ASU Helios Decision Center also celebrates and empowers the educators who make a difference every day. Through the ASU Impact Corps, the ASU Helios Decision Center identifies and elevates outstanding Arizona public school teachers whose students go on to achieve exceptional outcomes in the state’s public community colleges and universities.
These educators share their successful strategies with peers statewide. In 2025, the ASU Helios Center welcomed its third Impact Corps cohort, comprised of teachers who represent true bright spots in Arizona’s education system.
To further support the State’s educational and economic future, the ASU Helios Decision Center developed the Arizona Education and Workforce Visualization. This interactive tool helps educators, industry leaders, and policymakers explore how Arizona’s education system and economy intersect. It also identifies pathways for students to access high-wage, high-skill, and high-demand jobs.
By highlighting workforce trends, skill gaps, and opportunities for homegrown talent, the visualization equips stakeholders to collaborate on innovative solutions that ensure more Arizonans are prepared to thrive in the state’s dynamic economy and achieve long-term success.
ASU Helios Decision Center Testimonials:
Explore the transformative tools and visualizations
Since its founding, the ASU Helios Decision Center has delivered a suite of groundbreaking tools and visualizations, including:
- High School Outcomes Tool (HSOT): Combines community-level data to understand the context of Arizona high schools.
- Postsecondary Feedback Report (PSFR): Tracks how graduates perform in postsecondary education.
- ViSTA: Helps middle and high schools track and support student progress.
- Education and Workforce Visualization: Examines workforce demand and how education prepares students for high-wage jobs.
- Rigorous Course Taking: Explores outcomes of students in Advanced Placement and dual enrollment courses.
- K–8 Module: Helps schools explore factors influencing student success before high school.
- Major Decisions: Shows employment outcomes by college major to guide students’ choices.
In 2024, the ASU Helios Decision Center launched its own data repository, enabling it to collect, analyze, and share data more effectively and develop even more impactful solutions in the future.
Utilizing data to transform Arizona’s future
With its focus on actionable data, collaboration, and systemic change, the ASU Helios Decision Center for Educational Excellence is helping Arizona make meaningful progress toward its postsecondary attainment goals.
By leveraging cutting-edge technology, convening stakeholders, and redefining how we measure success, the ASU Helios Decision Center is transforming education across the state.
As Helios celebrates 20 years of investing in education, the ASU Helios Decision Center stands as a powerful example of what’s possible when vision, innovation, and partnership come together.