Document Tag: community college

Making Sense of Transitions: An Examination of Transfer among Economically Disadvantaged Undergraduates (2015)

At least one in three undergraduates attends more than one college, but we know little about how
students decide to transfer. Most studies about transfer are retrospective, quantitative, and/or
restricted to students who complete a transfer, thus missing the process through which students
reach transfer decisions. In contrast, this mixed methods, longitudinal study prospectively
examines a cohort of students across multiple colleges and universities over time. Based on data
from more than 200 interviews with 50 students from low-income Wisconsin families, we find
that about half of students consider transferring, but a substantial percentage ultimately decide to
persist at their initial institution. Other studies have ignored the deliberation process—and
existence—of this group. For all students who consider transfer, we illuminate a process of
discussion and reflection that is shaped by social class and social capital.

Houston Food Scholarship Program Report (2020)

This report describes program implementation and impact of one of the nation’s first food
scholarship programs: the Houston Food Scholarship (HFS), a partnership between Houston
Community College and the Houston Food Bank. The food scholarship was first distributed in
January 2018, and this report examines its early stages, as well as rigorously estimating impacts
through spring 2019.

Supporting Community College Completion with a Culture of Caring: A Case Study of Amarillo College (2018)

This report is an in-depth case study of the No Excuses Poverty Initiative at Amarillo College (AC), a midsize community college in the Texas Panhandle. Nearly a decade ago, AC’s leadership initiated a reflective and intentional series of steps to help alleviate the conditions of poverty affecting their students and promote the chances those students complete their degrees. The college has received widespread press and recognition for its work. This case study is the first intensive, evidence-based examination of that initiative, its key components, and its impact on student success.

Challenges and Opportunities for Improving Community College Student Success (2010)

Many of the democratizing opportunities provided by community colleges are
diminished in the eyes of policy makers by inadequate rates of success. In
particular, large proportions of students who enter community colleges do
not persist for longer than a semester, complete a program, or attain a credential.
This review critically examines academic and policy research in
search of explanations, emphasizing what is known about challenges stemming
from three levels of influence: the macro-level opportunity structure;
institutional practices; and the social, economic, and academic attributes
students bring to college. It provides examples of how factors operating at
each level affect rates of success at key times, including the initial transition
to college, the experience of remedial education, and persistence through
credit-bearing coursework. The article also discusses potential and ongoing
reforms that could increase rates of community college success by addressing
one or more areas of influence (the macro, the institutional, or the individual).
It is concluded that increasing success in the open-access, public 2-year
sector requires reforms directed at multiple levels and cannot be achieved
with either student- or institution-focused incentives alone.