Achieving the Dream

Dr. Jan Lyddon

October 2010

What is Achieving the Dream?

Success is what counts. 3

ATD has built a NATIONAL NETWORKOver 130 institutions, 24 states & District of Columbia

More than1 million students enrolled in ATD colleges

Success is what counts. 4

Students progressing successfully through developmental courses

Students advancing from developmental courses into and through credit bearing courses

Students successfully completing college-level courses (grade of C or better)

Students re-enrolling from one semester to the next, and from year to year

Students earning degrees, diplomas and certificates. 

Goals of Achieving the Dream

Success is what counts. 5

Achieving the Dream Institutional Change Principles

1. Committed leadershipCEO and leadership team actively support efforts to improve student learning and completion

2. Use of evidence to improve policies, programs, and services Colleges routinely analyze student data to assess progress and outcomes

3. Broad engagementFaculty, staff, students, and community stakeholders participate in efforts to improve student success

4. Systemic institutional improvementColleges orient all planning and activities around student success agenda

Success is what counts. 6

Some Themes within Achieving the Dream

We build a culture of evidence and inquiry to guide decisions and actions.

We confront hard truths:

“We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face…We must do that which we think we cannot.”

Eleanor Roosevelt

Success is what counts. 7

All students are not alike

Disparities by race:

Adults with associate’s degrees or higher: 42% of whites 26% of African Americans 18% of Hispanics

Disparities by gender:

Growing evidence that young men are falling behind

Disparities by age group:

Younger students – “Gen-Next” – have different expectations and behaviors

Success is what counts. 8

Share the facts and act on what you’ve learned

“Take nothing on its looks; take everything on evidence. There’s no better rule.”

Charles Dickens (1812 – 1870)

Great Expectations

(we are not alone)

Issues Impacting Our Students Are National Issues Impacting Other Community College Students

Success is what counts. 10

What is Achieving the Dream … continued

Success is what counts. 11

What We Know Nationally

Source: Achieving the Dream Data Notes,1(6) July/Aug 2006.

About half of all U.S. undergraduates and 40 percent of first-time freshmen are in community colleges

Research shows that low-income students and students of color are most at risk of not achieving success.

Yet these students are a large share of community colleges’ enrollment.

Success is what counts. 12

What We Know Nationally

Source: Achieving the Dream Data Notes,1(6) July/Aug 2006.

45% earn an associate or bachelor's degree or transfer within six years.

… a reality check …

41% earn a certificate or transfer to a four-year institution within six years.

45%

55%

41%

59%

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What We Know Nationally

Of 2002 Achieving the Dream Cohort, % Needing Developmental Education

Source: Achieving the Dream Data Notes,1(6) July/Aug 2006.

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How are they doing?Percent of 2002 AtD Cohort referred to developmental education that attempted and completed at least one developmental course during their first term, by race.

Source: Achieving the Dream Data Notes, 1(6) July/Aug 2006.

Success is what counts. 15

We Need to Take a Serious Look at Our Issues

We want the “great minds” of the college to look at the data and begin to address the issues related to student success.

Roles and Responsibilities

Success is what counts. 17

Core and Data Teams

Broadly representative

Understand College data and evaluation of initiatives

Guide discussion, prioritization, implementation of improvements

Communication link to larger communities

Broadly representative

Collect, disaggregate, and study data

Provide support to the Core Team

Support evaluation of all initiatives

Core Team Data Team

Success is what counts. 18

ATD five-step process for Student Success

Improve student

success & equity

Support from ATD

Investment by the college

5 ATD goals

Success is what counts. 19

ATD five-step process for Student Success

Success is what counts. 20

ATD five-step process for Student Success

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Taking it step by step

Examine the data:

How many students get a C or better in Developmental courses?

College-level English?

College-level math?

Are there some students who don’t do as well? Which ones? What are some of the underlying issues we need to understand?

Success is what counts. 22

Taking it step by step…

Cohorts

How many students continue for a second semester? For a second year? Graduate?

Are there differences by race, gender, age group?

Success is what counts. 23

Taking it step by step

Examine the data: What do the students say?

CCSSE Focus groups Other surveys

Success is what counts. 24

Taking it step by step

Examine the data:

What do other stakeholders have to tell us? Students’ families

Community leaders

K-12 educators

Success is what counts. 25

Taking it step by step

What are some of the policies and practices at the College that affect student success?

Which are helpful and which inhibit student success?

Success is what counts. 26

The Inarguable Fundamentals

1. The center of community college work is student learning, persistence, and success.

2. Every program, every service, every academic policy is perfectly designed to achieve the exact outcome it currently produces.

Achieving the Dream

Kilgore College

October, 2010