A large proportion of first-time community college students enter schools each year in need of developmental education, but few succeed in making it through these programs to college-level courses, let alone earning a certificate or a degree. As a result, many community colleges participating in 'Achieving the dream: community colleges count' - a bold, multiyear, national initiative launched in 2003 by Lumina Foundation for Education - are focusing on improving developmental education through a variety of interventions. The colleges participating in 'Achieving the dream' receive professional c
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A large proportion of first-time community college students enter schools each year in need of developmental education, but few succeed in making it through these programs to college-level courses, let alone earning a certificate or a degree. As a result, many community colleges participating in 'Achieving the dream: community colleges count' - a bold, multiyear, national initiative launched in 2003 by Lumina Foundation for Education - are focusing on improving developmental education through a variety of interventions. The colleges participating in 'Achieving the dream' receive professional coaching and grants totaling $450,000 over the course of five years. They commit to collecting and analyzing data to improve student outcomes - a process known as 'building a culture of evidence'. Specifically, colleges mine transcripts and gather other information to understand how students are faring over time and which groups need the most assistance. From this work, they implement strategies to improve students' academic outcomes. 'Achieving the dream' colleges are expected to evaluate their strategies, expand effective ones, and use data to guide budgeting and other institutional decisions. This report examines the experiences of three of the 83 colleges currently involved in 'Achieving the dream' and their efforts to improve instruction in developmental classrooms: Guilford Technical Community College in Greensboro, North Carolina; Mountain Empire Community College in Big Stone Gap, Virginia; and Patrick Henry Community College in Martinsville, Virginia. Using the 'Achieving the dream' model as a framework, each of these colleges implemented a system of reforms aimed at reaching developmental learners who have a variety of skill levels and experiences.
Excerpt from published summary reprinted by permission of the copyright owner.
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