Building a Culture of Evidence for Community College Student Success

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Building a Culture of Evidence for Community College Student Success Building a Culture of Evidence for Community College Student Success Early Progress in the Achieving the Dream Initiative Thomas Brock Davis Jenkins Todd Ellwein Jennifer Miller Susan Gooden Kasey Martin Casey MacGregor Michael Pih with Bethany Miller Christian Geckeler May 2007 Funding for this report was provided by Lumina Foundation for Education. Dissemination of MDRC publications is supported by the following funders that help finance MDRC’s public policy outreach and expanding efforts to communicate the results and implications of our work to policymakers, practitioners, and others: Alcoa Foundation, The Ambrose Monell Foundation, Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation, and The Starr Foundation. In addition, earnings from the MDRC Endowment help sustain our dissemination efforts. Contributors to the MDRC Endow- ment include Alcoa Foundation, The Ambrose Monell Foundation, Anheuser-Busch Foundation, Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Ford Foundation, The George Gund Foundation, The Grable Foundation, The Lizabeth and Frank Newman Charitable Foundation, The New York Times Company Foundation, Jan Nicholson, Paul H. O’Neill Charitable Foundation, John S. Reed, The Sandler Family Supporting Foundation, and The Stupski Family Fund, as well as other individual contributors. The findings and conclusions in this report do not necessarily represent the official positions or poli- cies of the funders. For information about MDRC and copies of our publications, see our Web site: www.mdrc.org. Copyright © 2007 by MDRC and CCRC. All rights reserved. Overview In 2003, Lumina Foundation for Education launched a bold, multiyear, national initiative called Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count, to help students stay in school and succeed. The initiative is focused particularly on students who have faced the most barriers to success, including low-income students and students of color. Initially, 27 community colleges in five states joined the initiative; there are now 82 institutions in 15 states. Participating colleges 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, colleges implement strategies to improve academic outcomes. Colleges evaluate their strategies, expand effective ones, and use data to guide budg- eting and other institutional decisions. Participating colleges receive a $50,000 planning grant followed by a four-year, $400,000 implementation grant, along with assistance from expert ad- visers hired by the initiative. This report describes the progress that the first 27 colleges have made after planning and one year of implementation. The key findings are: • As expected, institutional measures reveal low rates of success at baseline. Before the initiative was launched, colleges reported that, on average, only about 30 percent of stu- dents who were referred to introductory college English completed the course within three years. For introductory math, the rate was about 20 percent. • The colleges embraced the goal of building a culture of evidence. The presidents at the colleges generally showed strong leadership, and every college created at least a small team to plan and implement Achieving the Dream. • About half the colleges used data analysis to identify problems to address on their campuses. Colleges were not always sure about how to respond to what they had learned from the data, however. Some colleges struggled because their research offices were un- derstaffed or their computer systems were weak. • Colleges implemented a wide array of strategies to improve student success, includ- ing strengthening academic advising and orientation programs, revamping developmental education, and offering professional development for faculty and staff. • Six colleges showed signs of institutionalizing a culture of evidence after only one year. Most other colleges showed signs of progress. The evaluation team will return to the colleges over the next few years to determine what fur- ther progress they — and their students — have made. A final report is planned for 2010. iii Contents Overview iii List of Tables and Figures vii Preface ix Acknowledgments xi Executive Summary ES-1 Chapter 1 1 Introduction 1 History and Design of the Initiative 2 Theory of Action: How Achieving the Dream Is Expected to Boost Student Performance 6 Selection and Characteristics of the Achieving the Dream Colleges 12 Evaluation Methodology 13 Organization of This Report 16 2 Baseline Performance Among Round 1 Colleges 17 Introduction 17 Baseline Performance Rates by Colleges 19 Gaps in Baseline Institutional Performance Rates Among Student Groups 23 Planned Approach to Measuring Progress 34 3 Building a Culture of Evidence 37 Conceptual Framework: What Is a Culture of Evidence? 37 The Status Quo: IR Capacity and Use of Data for Improvement at the Outset 39 The Achieving the Dream Planning Process: First Steps Toward Building a Culture of Evidence 40 Impact of Achieving the Dream on Use of Data 46 Challenges and Obstacles to Building a Culture of Evidence 48 Data Analysis Beyond the Planning Year 54 4 Leadership and Engagement 57 Introduction 57 Vision and Commitment from College Leadership 58 Broad-Based Engagement in Achieving the Dream 63 The Role of Achieving the Dream Coaches 73 v 5 Strategies for Enhancing Student Success 75 Introduction 75 Overview of College Strategies 77 Conclusion 88 6 Steps Toward Institutionalizing a Culture of Evidence 91 Introduction 91 Progress Toward Institutionalizing a Culture of Evidence 93 External Incentives for Institutional Transformation 97 Appendixes A Supplementary Tables for Chapter 2: Characteristics of Round 1 Colleges, Academic Year 2004-2005 103 B Achieving the Dream Data Decisions and Definitions of Derived Variables 121 C Supplementary Tables for Chapter 5: Strategies Implemented at Round 1 Colleges as of Spring 2006 125 References 155 vi List of Tables and Figures Table 1.1 Original National Partners of the Achieving the Dream Initiative 4 1.2 New Funders and Organizations of the Achieving the Dream Initiative 5 1.3 Round 1 Colleges, Academic Year 2004-2005 14 2.1 Average Institutional Rates on Achieving the Dream Performance Indicators at Round 1 Colleges, Fall 2002 Cohort, Three-Year Outcomes 20 2.2 Average Institutional Rates on Major Achieving the Dream Performance Indicators at Round 1 Colleges, by Race/Ethnicity, Fall 2002 Cohort, Three-Year Outcomes 25 2.3 Average Institutional Rates on Achieving the Dream Performance Indicators at Round 1 Colleges, by Race/Ethnicity Among Male Students, Fall 2002 Cohort, Three-Year Outcomes 28 2.4 Average Institutional Rates on Achieving the Dream Performance Indicators at Round 1 Colleges, by Race/Ethnicity Among Female Students, Fall 2002 Cohort, Three-Year Outcomes 30 2.5 Average Institutional Rates on Achieving the Dream Performance Indicators at Round 1 Colleges, by Pell Grant Receipt Status, Fall 2002 Cohort, Three-Year Outcomes 33 2.6 Average Institutional Rates on Achieving the Dream Performance Indicators at Round 1 Colleges, by Remedial Instruction Referral Status, Fall 2002 Cohort, Three-Year Outcomes 35 5.1 Strategies Implemented at Round 1 Colleges as of Spring 2006, by Type and Frequency 78 A.1 Characteristics of Round 1 Colleges in Florida, Academic Year 2004- 2005 104 A.2 Characteristics of Round 1 Colleges in New Mexico, Academic Year 2004-2005 107 A.3 Characteristics of Round 1 Colleges in North Carolina, Academic Year 2004-2005 110 A.4 Characteristics of Round 1 Colleges in Texas, Academic Year 2004-2005 113 A.5 Characteristics of Round 1 Colleges in Virginia, Academic Year 2004- 2005 118 C.1 Advising Strategies Implemented at Round 1 Colleges as of Spring 2006 126 C.2 Developmental Education Strategies Implemented at Round 1 Colleges as of Spring 2006 130 vii Table C.3 First-Year Experience Strategies Implemented at Round 1 Colleges as of Spring 2006 133 C.4 High School and Community Outreach Strategies Implemented at Round 1 Colleges as of Spring 2006 138 C.5 Instructional Strategies Implemented at Round 1 Colleges as of Spring 2006 141 C.6 Professional Development Strategies Implemented at Round 1 Colleges as of Spring 2006 144 C.7 Student Support Services Strategies Implemented at Round 1 Colleges as of Spring 2006 148 C.8 Tutoring/Supplemental Instruction Strategies Implemented at Round 1 Colleges as of Spring 2006 151 Figure ES.1 Locations of Colleges in the Achieving the Dream Initiative, 2003-2006 ES-2 ES.2 Theory of Action for the Achieving the Dream Initiative ES-4 ES.3 Levels of Student Persistence and Achievement: Institutional Averages Across the Achieving the Dream Round 1 Colleges at Baseline ES-6 1.1 Locations of Colleges in the Achieving the Dream Initiative, 2003-2006 3 1.2 Theory of Action for the Achieving the Dream Initiative 7 1.3 Relationships Among College Teams, Coaches, and Data Facilitators 10 viii Preface With their open admissions policies, convenient locations, and low tuition, community colleges are a critical resource for millions of adults who might otherwise be unable to go to col- lege. For low-income people, in particular, these colleges offer a pathway out of poverty and into better jobs. Yet nearly half of students who begin at community colleges do not transfer to a four- year college or complete a certificate or degree program
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