Achieving the Dream: Lessons Learned and Opportunities Moving Forward

1. Achieving the Dream:Lessons Learned and Opportunities Moving Forward SHEEO Annual Meeting Presentation Santa Fe, NM July 16, 2009

2. Participating Colleges and States • 104 Institutions • 22 States: AR, CA, CT, FL, HI, IN, IL, KS, MA, MD, MI, NC, NM, NY, OH, OK, PA, SC, TX, VA, VT, WA

3. Original Partners Initially funded by Lumina Foundation for Education and managed by MDC, Inc. Other National Partners: American Association of Community Colleges Community College Leadership Program, University of Texas-Austin Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University Futures Project, Brown University Jobs for the Future MDRC Public Agenda

4. Subsequent Partners Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Boston Foundation College Spark Washington Greater Texas Foundation Heinz Foundation Houston Endowment Kellogg Foundation Knowledge Works Foundation Knowledge Works/Gund Foundation Kresge Foundation Nellie Mae Education Foundation Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation

5. Purpose Achieving the Dream is a long-term effort to increase the success rates of underserved students at community colleges at five levels: Promote and support institutional change Develop supportive state and national policies Engage the public to support access and success Build knowledge about strengthening student outcomes Enhance the capacity of national organizations to work long term for improved student success

6. Overarching College Goal To strengthen the College’s capacity to increase student success through careful review of institutional practices by: Functioning as a learning organization Developing a culture of evidence and accountability. Making systematic and lasting changes.

7. Learning Organization Examine teaching and learning practices Track student progress through well defined student learning outcomes Assess curriculum effectiveness and improve as needed Review policies and practices for barriers to student success Make professional development a priority

8. Creating a Culture of Evidence Examine outcomes of all students to: Successfully complete developmental courses. Successfully complete gatekeeper courses. Complete credit hours Re-enroll from one semester to the next. Earn certificates and degrees

9. Building a Culture of Evidence Quantitative Data Differences among institutions in their use of, or access to data Faculty sophistication in data analysis Administrator use of data to guide decision making

10. Building a Culture of Evidence Qualitative Data IR departments unfamiliar with qualitative processes. Trust in qualitative data Sophistication in triangulating data to support results

11. Key Qualitative Data Findings Student focus groups indicated students have higher aspirations than they are credited with by faculty Students don’t know what to expect in college Faculty work reflects their own experience that often doesn’t match student realities Administrators limited by experience in using data to drive decisions

12. Systemic Changes Improve institutional practices Re-allocate resources Review and analyze policies Engage outside constituents Listen to student needs Use Data to make decisions

13. Process Broad based involvement Leadership at all levels Core Team Data Team Strategic Task Forces Coach Data Facilitators

14. Expected Outcomes Re-design learning experiences. Improvements in developmental studies and academic support systems. Changes in teaching and student services. Address students’ financial needs, as well as child care and other support services. Professional development for faculty, staff, and administrators to promote an institutional culture that enhances student success.

15. Sample National Data Comparisons Used to: Compare with data from their own institutions Inform external constituents Get faculty support Generate ideas for improvement

16. One Example of Results: South Texas College

17. South Texas College

18. South Texas College

19. Sinclair Math Course Results

20. Sinclair Pell Recipient Success

21. Sinclair Minority Student Success

22. Overall Success All institutions have made progress but extent depends on several factors including their IR capacity Some had no IR office Some had extensive IR offices Some collected more data than they used Some faculty and administrators were more knowledgeable about research methods and data collection Some had more financial resources than others

23. Other Success Factors State and institutional policies changes Leadership at all levels matters Focus on student success drives decisions Allocation of resources is made according to values and vision of the organization Professional development is key to institutional improvement Institutional research capacity is continually improved and given priority

24. State Policy Goals • Promote changes in state-level priorities, rules, regulations, and resource allocations that make it easier for participating colleges to improve outcomes • Move proven institutional practices of participating colleges statewide

25. Outcomes for State Policy After the initiative, participating states will: • Make success of underprepared community college students an explicit public policy goal • Routinely use student outcome data to inform decision making • Identify and implement specific policy changes that promote success of underprepared students

26. Framework for ATD State Policy • Clear public policy commitment to student success • Strong data-driven accountability systems • Aligned expectations, standards, and assessments across education sectors • Incentives for improving success for underprepared students • Financial aid policies that promote persistence • Public support

27. State Policy Self-Assessment Tool • 64 questions in 5 categories • Data and performance measurement • Student success policies • K-12 and postsecondary alignment • Transfer and articulation • Financial aid policies

28. Summary…Lessons Learned • Promising Impacts… • Shifting conversation from “access” to “success” • Tangible policy change • Increasing focus on data-driven decisions • Cross-state policy fertilization • Cross-State Data Workgroup • Challenges… • Budget crisis and funding implications • Leadership changes and staff turnover • Institutional research capacity

29. Summary…Future Opportunities • Leveraging the Lessons from Achieving the Dream • Developmental Education Initiative • College Access and Completion Fund • ATD National Expansion • Additional colleges and states joining

30. Achieving the Dream Success is what counts. www.achievingthedream.org Martha Romero Martha.Romero@cgu.edu Chris Baldwin cbaldwin@jff.org