Students who arrive to college academically underprepared and unfamiliar with the college experience have lower student success and completion rates. This report examines a learning community program that placed underprepared freshmen into groups and assigned them to take three classes together, while receiving counseling and tutoring services. Researchers discuss the implementation of the learning community program at one large, urban community college and report on impact findings on students’ college experience, progress through developmental English courses, persistence, and lasting impact beyond the first semester.

Our nation’s ability to improve its economy and stability is dependent upon our ability to increase college completion rates. This annual report offers a detailed update on the nation’s effort to reach its goal of 60 percent of Americans holding a high-quality postsecondary credential by 2025. Using 2010 Census data, the report provides college-attainment data at national, state, and county levels; attainment rates by racial/ethnic groups at the national and state levels; and college-attainment rates for the nation’s 100 largest metropolitan areas.

There is a need for understanding if promising practices that appear to work for the general student population are effective in increasing access and success in postsecondary education for low-income and underrepresented students. This report addresses accelerated learning options and how they might improve rates of college enrollment, persistence, and graduation for underserved students. However, there is a need to improve data collection and data reporting systems across states to understand how underserved students would benefit from accelerated learning programs. Among the recommendations in this report is a call for policymakers, researchers, practitioners, and external funding groups to improve collaboration and evidence-based research to begin efforts to improve student outcomes through accelerated learning options.

Students in the U.S. understand the importance of a college education; 88% of eighth graders assume they will enter some sort of postsecondary program. Despite this high level of college aspiration, students often find the reality of the college entrance process and college-level coursework overwhelming. This report uses data from six states to explore how a lack of alignment between K–12 and postsecondary education contributes to misconceptions about what constitutes college readiness and how the college application process works. The authors discuss major points of disconnect, including assessments and curricular design, and offer recommendations for strengthening the ties between K–12 and postsecondary policies to build comprehensive P–16 systems.

Continuing and increasing educational and workforce inequalities of Hispanic, Black, and American Indian/Alaska Native populations, if left unchecked, will negatively impact the economic welfare of the western United States. This report focuses on the ability of these states to educate minorities in order to improve their workforces and economies. The author uses state-by-state data to examine current education gaps, preparation for high-skill and high-wage jobs for certain minority groups, workforce status, and the impact of increasing the educated minority workforce in the region.

For the underperforming high school student, traditional course offerings do little to support or inspire these students to graduate, much less continue successfully to college. This report examines a study that found career-focused dual enrollment students more likely to graduate from high school than non-participating students, earn more college credits, persist in postsecondary education, and less likely to enroll in developmental education courses. Based on the study, the report offers lessons from the field: recommendations for effective dual enrollment practices and related policies to expand the success observed for these underprepared students.

In California, the completion and transfer rates for community college students is very low. This report examines California community college degree and certificate attainment and transfers to a California public, four-year college among first-time freshmen. Based on the data results on who is reaching completion, the report shows a very diverse student population and, thus, offers policy considerations for improving student success for all the varied types of students wanting to attain higher education.

African American students, particularly men, have historically underperformed in postsecondary education. To better serve these students, it is important for community colleges to have a strong understanding of the factors that influence their college experience. This combined quantitative/qualitative study examines the specific institutional factors at one California community college to identify which factors correlate with higher educational outcomes. Findings show that African American men perceive themselves as unsupported by and disconnected from the college community, but positive peer and faculty interactions can build a more supportive environment and relate to higher outcomes.

This case study investigates El Paso Community College’s first year of participation in the Achieving the Dream initiative, particularly their use of the ACCUPLACER test both as a placement assessment for incoming students and as part of a larger effort to guide high school students to college readiness. The authors interviewed EPCC personnel and held focus groups with students to explore how EPCC’s efforts impacted the school’s goals of decreasing the number of entering students who place into developmental courses and decreasing the time required to complete developmental coursework.

Research has shown that community college students who enroll in a remedial math, reading, or writing course have lower success rates than students who start college-ready. Using quantitative data, this study investigates developmental course-taking patterns and related student outcomes, and using qualitative data, examines related policies and practices among California’s community colleges. The authors describe the characteristics and course-taking patterns of developmental education students as well as current issues within developmental education. Additionally, the authors identify the different approaches to the practice of developmental education and the need for innovation and effective practices to move students through remedial coursework quickly and successfully.

While dual enrollment programs historically have focused on high-achieving students, these programs can benefit underperforming students as well, particularly when integrated with a career focus. This report examines eight dual-enrollment partnerships in California that included a career-focused strategy for engaging struggling students. The authors describe each partnership and discuss the program variations among them, including the advantages and disadvantages of particular program features related to location, instructors and pedagogy, and course selection and content, among others. These findings are lessons to be considered when redesigning a dual enrollment program.

The high dropout rate of Latino high school students means that Latino students are not enrolling in college, earning degrees, nor participating in the economy at the rate they should be. Based on the research, this report identifies six effective, replicable programs that have reduced dropout rates and have increased college attendance and student performance. Additionally, the authors describe other college attendance/dropout prevention programs that are used in California for improving outcomes of Latino students and present common program themes found among them.

Various student ethnic populations are likely to have very different conceptions of the campus community, and these conceptions have a significant impact on their experience of postsecondary education. All schools, but particularly those with increasingly diverse student populations, need to understand this and provide effective targeted supports that address the racial climate on campus. This report offers a detailed review of research on the impact of racial climate on student attitudes and outcomes and provides examples of programs schools have implemented to address the complexities of student diversity.

States are considering the use of financial incentives to encourage students to complete a postsecondary credential. In this February 2012 interview with Dr. Richard Freeland, Commissioner of Higher Education for Massachusetts, Freeland discusses how state policy in the Commonwealth is aiming to increase postsecondary completion for low-income students and to close the racial achievement gap in postsecondary attainment. In his interview, Freeland describes the Vision Project, a pilot project in which Massachusetts public institutions of higher education develop a concrete proposal, based on promising practices and recommendations, for experimenting with the use of financial aid to improve college access and success for students in need.

The more developmental courses students must take, the less likely they are to earn a degree or credential. This paper examines how developmental summer bridge programs, designed to provide recent high school graduates with remedial instruction in reading, writing, or math, along with an introduction to college, may support students in their transition from high school to college. Researchers study the effectiveness of a developmental summer bridge program model implemented at eight Texas colleges and describe students’ progression through developmental education, student success in college-level courses, and persistence into the second year of college. Among the early findings, the evidence suggests that summer bridge program students had improved success rates in entry-level college courses in math and writing.

Offering financial aid incentives to students who graduate high school early may allow states to reduce their overall spending on education, but such policies need to be carefully designed to make sure they offer long-term benefits to students. This brief outlines the factors that policymakers need to address to ensure that early graduation incentives provide real impact in improving college readiness and access for the most in-need students. The authors provide an overview of the current programs in eleven states.

Low-income, minority, and adult students’ lower rates of passing introductory courses reduce their chances of earning a degree. Introductory courses are often generic and lecture-based, failing to meet the learning needs of students, but some institutions have effectively redesigned instructional approaches to increase rates of course completion. In this monograph, researchers identified six characteristics integrated into the student learning experience in the effective approaches, including student-centered learning, computer-based learning and testing resources, and on-demand help. Examining the implementation of redesigned courses in colleges with large populations of underserved students, the authors found improved outcomes for underserved students.

Students who have been raised in homes where English is not the dominant language, who have attended U.S. high schools, and who speak more fluently compared with more recent immigrants, have academic needs that are different from native-born English speakers and other groups of students learning English, yet their unique circumstances aren’t considered in how they are assessed and placed in their postsecondary courses. This report explores language-related policies, practices, and instructional options that U.S.-educated language minority students encounter in California community colleges, and how information concerning assessments, placements, and course sequences are communicated to them. Researchers discuss findings from an analysis of college websites, interviews with community college staff and administrators, and site visits, and offer recommendations for improving access and success for U.S.-educated language minority students. This report is the first of three focused on the practices and implications of community college ESL and English placement tests on U.S.-educated language minority students and promising practices for meeting their needs.

“Off Track” is a synopsis of the report, “Course-Taking Patterns and Preparation for Postsecondary Education in California’s Public University Systems Among Minority Youth,” prepared by REL West. The report suggests that better middle school preparation and early intervention with students falling off the college track are needed.

To improve our nation’s economy, we need to create more coherent and effective education and workforce development systems, especially targeting disadvantaged youth and adults. This paper proposes new federal competitive grants to states that fund training partnerships between education institutions, employers from key industry sectors, workforce agencies, and other intermediaries at the state level, as well as fund support and services. The author discusses predicted costs and benefits of the grants and purports that over time, these activities will create more effective education and workforce systems, and that these investments will help reduce the nation’s unemployment rate.

The 21st century economy calls for a new generation of workers who have postsecondary degrees, yet the U.S. is falling behind other nations in producing a population with this requirement. This report discusses the need for a community college redesign to meet the demands of a changing workforce and to ensure that individuals have greater opportunities for postsecondary success. The report suggests a framework for reimagining community colleges and describes essential crosscutting elements in transforming institutions. It also offers seven recommendations centered on students’ educational experiences, institutional roles, and incentives for student and institutional success, as well as a set of implementation strategies accompanying each recommendation.

For too many postsecondary students, remedial courses act more as a barrier than a support to attaining their degree or credential. Using data on college readiness, this report describes how the current developmental education model is failing to move students along on a successful path to completion. The report proposes specific practices for better preparing students for college-level work before they begin college and a new model in which, in lieu of remedial courses, all students enroll in first-year college courses that include embedded tutoring and support. The report presents 33 state profiles, each showing demographics of students in need of remediation and the rates at which students are completing remediation and college in that state.

Although California enjoys high enrollment rates, it has state policies that act as barriers to completion, resulting in poor completion rates. This policy brief describes how available data on demographics and course-taking behavior of California community college students could inform new policy focused on increasing college completion rates. Knowing that certain enrollment patterns are related to higher completion rates, the authors discuss how new policy could be aimed at encouraging those behaviors to lead to increased student success.

The income gap between individuals with and without a postsecondary education is wide and increasing rapidly. This brief discusses the learning needs that ESL adult learners have when transitioning from ESL programs to postsecondary education. The author describes research-based strategies ESL teachers can use to support students’ transitions in academic programs as well as recommended ESL program features for administrators to consider when designing supportive transition programs from ESL to college-level coursework.

Researchers interviewed men of color from four community college campuses to examine the interplay of racial and ethnic identity, motivations for attending college and persisting to completion, and engagement with the campus community. Recommendations include the need for mandatory academic counseling and informative financial aid workshops for students.

Funders, organizations, and colleges want new models for how to improve postsecondary success rates, but working alone, they are limited by their own capacity, knowledge, and existing systems. This report describes the successful collaboration between a community-based organization (CBO) and a New York City community college focused on improving the college success rates of underrepresented, postsecondary students. Bringing their resources and strengths, the two partners provided a comprehensive support system to the underperforming students that helped in their academic, and social and developmental preparation for college. The authors describe how the collaboration began, key components of the initiative, and lessons learned for future endeavors between CBOs and postsecondary institutions.

In the U.S., K–12 and postsecondary education are disjointed, creating barriers that hinder students — especially lesser-prepared students — from successfully navigating the transition to and through higher education. Based on a four-state study that analyzed K–16 educational governance and state policies in areas such as finance, curricula and assessment, accountability, and data systems, this report proposes a set of policy levers for states interested in K–16 reform. In addition to providing examples of the steps several states have taken to move the K–16 agenda forward, the authors also offer recommendations to help states formalize current approaches into more effective, sustainable, and long-term governance structures and policies for improving success opportunities for students.

The process of assessing underprepared students, placing them into an appropriate developmental education course sequence, and advancing them through to college-level coursework is broken. Based on a case study of the City University of New York’s six community colleges, this report proposes a new opposing forces framework for understanding the dysfunction of the developmental education system. The authors discuss the tensions inherent in the framework — systemwide consistency versus institutional autonomy, efficient versus effective assessment, and promotion of student progression versus enforcement of academic standards — and use CUNY as a case study to describe how each of the opposing forces shape developmental policies, practices, and student progression patterns.

This publication is intended as a supplement to the main study report, Passing the Torch: Strategies for Innovation in Community College ESL by Chisman and Crandall. It presents in-depth profiles of the five college programs whose adult ESL services were studied and found to be innovative and successful in terms of learning gains, student retention, and transitions to further education. Specifically, each profile addresses ESL programs, noncredit ESL program characteristics, special program features, use of technology, articulation and transitions, faculty, management, finance and program effectiveness.

In order to better serve California’s community college students, it’s helpful to understand their postsecondary intentions and experiences. This brief, the second of a series on the outcomes of California community college students, examines the transfer patterns of two groups of students—students who met transfer requirements at a CCC but did not transfer to a four-year college or university, as well as students who had transferred but without having met the requirements. The authors discuss the characteristics and course-taking patterns of these two groups.

Some would believe that the playing fields are leveled when California students leave their intensely segregated high schools and enter their local community colleges. This report explores the student pipelines to and from Southern California’s 51 community colleges and describes the varying levels of segregation and educational opportunity for the students among these institutions. The authors examine the relationship between high school performance and racial and ethnic segregation in the 51 community colleges, as well as the transfer outcomes among all racial and ethnic groups. The authors conclude with recommendations for improving access, affordability, and excellence, especially for students faced with the greatest needs.

Research on college completion seldom includes controls to examine the effect of various institutional policies on student completion rates or how policies’ effectiveness change over time. In this study, researchers used longitudinal transcript data to examine the relationship between institutions and graduation probability. They then ranked similar community colleges on their success in graduating minority students and held interviews with personnel from six schools (three high-impact and three low-impact colleges) to determine which policies contribute to the schools’ completion rates.

Improving the success of college completion and transfer rates requires new innovations aimed exactly at those efforts. This report profiles five California community colleges that have implemented practices or programs focused on completion and transfer to a four-year university or the workforce. Additionally, this report presents four commonalities, based on the work of these community colleges, that serve as a framework for any effort to improve student success: information matters, working together, supporting students outside the classroom, and college leaders are key.

Students arrive at community colleges with college-ready status determined by a placement test; however, many of these students, along with their peers in developmental education, are still not completing college successfully. Perhaps, then, college readiness support should not focus only on academics. Based on interview data from a previous study, this paper addresses the non-academic expectations of community college students and the unspoken role they are expected to exhibit to successfully navigate and complete their academic programs. The authors provide a description of the community college student role and the specific components of the role. Aiming for transparency for students, the authors offer student strategies within each component for playing out the new role.