Downesdavis-HIA+Commit+to+Complete


 * [|Complete College America], interesting website with valuable information and statistics.**

>> Funded by >> **[|Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation] ** >> **[|Carnegie Corporation of New York] ** >> **[|Ford Foundation] ** >> **[|Lumina Foundation for Education] ** >> **[|W.K. Kellogg Foundation] ** >> > ==== In America, our states are most responsible for the education of their citizens." T his group is outlining a path forward and creating an alliance of states to increase college completion. ====
 * 1) What is "Complete College America"?
 * 2) "Established in 2009, Complete College America is a national nonprofit working to significantly increase the number of Americans with a college degree or credential of value and to close attainment gaps for traditionally underrepresented populations. "
 * 1) =====They provide a path forward -" **State leaders have the opportunity—and the obligation —to demand success.** =====
 * 1) Join the mailing list at the bottom of the homepage to receive updates by email.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX [|Freedom to Fail? The Board’s Role in Reducing College Dropout Rates] By Stan Jones, President of Complete College America Trusteeship, Jan/Feb 2011

Interesting article provides a broad overview to College Trustees of the graduation problem and unique solutions. Take Away messages quoted below:

"1.More than 20 percent of the working adult population has started college but has not completed a degree. This increased dropout rate reflects a student body that juggles work with academic responsibilities. To govern effectively, boards must recognize this new majority student. 2. Boards can help reduce the dropout rate by enacting policies that equip students to make informed decisions with clear expectations concerning their education. 3. To retain students, boards should consider an approach to governance that reduces the time it takes for a student to graduate, lessens the number of choices, and provides more predictability and structure."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX [|GOAL 2025]Sponsored by the Lumina Foundation = THE BIG GOAL: To increase the proportion of Americans with high-quality degrees and credentials to ** 60 percent by the year 2025 ** =

Current estimates are 41% of Americans have college degrees

"This goal is a national priority because:
http://www.luminafoundation.org/goal_2025 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX [|The College Payoff] [|Education, Occupations, Lifetime Earnings]
 * Higher education [|2] is a prerequisite to success in a knowledge-based society and economy.
 * The social and economic opportunities facing our country can best be addressed by educating many more people beyond high school. As we attain the goal, we improve the economy, strengthen civic engagement and reduce the costs of crime, poverty and health care and, in short, improve the human condition.
 * Higher education attainment rates among adults, first-generation college-going students, low-income students and students of color are significantly lower than those of other students. This gap has endured for decades and is now widening. This attainment gap is alarming given the country’s demographic trends."

A new study by THE GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY CENTER ON EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE " This report examines lifetime earnings for all education levels and earnings by occupation, age, race/ethnicity, and gender. The data are clear: a college degree is key to economic opportunity, conferring substantially higher earnings on those with credentials than those without." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX B[|ill and Melinda Gates Foundation-Post Secondary Education] Community Colleges We are focusing our efforts on helping community colleges improve their completion rates because they are flexible, affordable, and accessible institutions that enroll the largest number of low-income students. http://www.gatesfoundation.org/postsecondaryeducation/Pages/default.aspx [|Why Complete College] [|Next Generation Learning] Great 8 page overview with "The intelligent use of technology to develop innovative learning models and personalized educational pathways". A MUST TO READ!
 * [|Community colleges in America]
 * [|Improving community colleges]
 * [|Community colleges and remedial education]
 * [|Key facts on remedial education]
 * Completion by Design

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX [|Next Generation: Transforming Education through Technology] Interesting website with free webinars and extensive documentation for reference. Goal is "Next Generation Learning Challenges is a collaborative, multi-year initiative created to address the barriers to educational innovation and tap the potential of technology to dramatically improve college readiness and completion in the United States." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

[|League for Innovation in the Community College]
==[|National Completion Agenda is Local Work] == "The most serious impediment to increasing the number of people who complete a degree, certificate, or some other credential is that the postsecondary school enrollees often are unprepared to do college-level work. A 2004 Stanford Institute for Higher Education Research study found that collaboration, accountability, and articulation among our systems of education—secondary and postsecondary—is relatively nonexistent. Thus, students in many cases graduate from high school and soon find they are not well prepared for college."

=
CONSIDER REACHING OUT TO THE BCC EXPERT ON HIGH SCHOOL/COLLEGE COLLABORATIONS TO PREPARE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FOR COLLEGE. I WORKED WITH THE ENGLEWOOD ACADEMIES ON A GRANT TO GIVE THE BASIC SKILLS TESTS TO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS EARLY IN HIGH SCHOOL. I BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE PEOPLE WORKING ON ALIGNING THE BASIC SKILLS TESTING WITH THE HIGH SCHOOL PROFICIENCY TESTING. I THINK DEAN RICATTO WAS WORKING ON THIS.===== XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX [|EDUCAUSE]

= [|Technology’s Role in the College Completion Agenda: An Introduction to Next Generation Learning Challenges]-presentation online = "Next Generation Learning Challenges, a new initiative led by EDUCAUSE, seeks to dramatically increase college readiness and completion by fostering the development and adoption of promising learning technologies. In this webcast, NGLC Executive Director Ira Fuchs will provide an overview of the goals and ambitions driving NGLC and share several examples of how today’s campuses, through IT, can make an impact on college readiness and completion."

[|Resources from Educause on College Completion]

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[|C4 Community College Completion Corps]
"Phi Theta Kappa is heading the Community College Completion Corps, the student-led initiative to raise awareness of the importance of college completion not only for students but for colleges and the communities they serve." View the [|Community College Completion Challenge] "...six key organizations in higher education signed Democracy's Colleges Call to Action to engage all stakeholders in supporting community college completion." [|PTK] [|American Association of Community Colleges] [|Association of Community College Trustee]s [|League for Innovation in the Community College] [|The National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development] ====[|Center for Community College Student Engagement] ====

A must read where you will " ...find a centralized repository of resources to assist them in the support of this crucial initiative. Visit often for the latest news, best practices, success stories and resources as we work to mobilize our message stressing the importance of college completion." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Article from Community College Times outlined A__ [|merican Association of Community Colleges] __(AACC) board of directors’ retreat in Washington, D.C. at which "recent data regarding students as well as from student advocates who detailed initiatives to engage students in their own success." Rod Risley of PTK discusses the PTK: "Rod Risley, executive director of [|Phi Theta Kappa], updated the AACC board on his organization’s initiatives to have students champion for their own successes, from signing petitions pledging to complete their associate degrees, to serving as mentors to help less-successful students attain their goals. Risley noted an [|online tool kit] with myriad resources to help students and colleges develop college completion campaigns. The website also includes information on various events and initiatives across college campuses. For example, [|Eastern Shore Community College] in Virginia is focusing on reaching out to high school students to promote college completions, while [|Lake-Sumter Community College] in Florida is pairing students in developmental education with mentors. The effort at [|Lone Star College] in Texas is two-pronged, and includes identifying at-risk students who need mentors and encouraging students who don’t plan to complete their associate degree before transferring to do so before they move on to a baccalaureate institution. Phi Theta Kappa is also developing a formal peer-to-peer mentoring program called Students Helping Students that it aims to launch by year’s end. “This is the way we will be able to institutionalize student success,” Risely said."
 * || [|Including students in their own success] ||

We should review all the PTK activities going on at other chapters. Take a look at this link: http://www.cccompletioncorps.org/ptk/events  XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX [|Community College Students Mobilize on Campus to Improve Graduation Rates] Chronicle of Higher Education May 22, 2011 Good article on PTK and the Community College Completion Corp. Highlights some of the programs at PTK chapters. Good to review because we want to make sure that we know what other chapters are trying and we can try to take a unique approach that fits the needs of our community. Surely the global outreach will be a very unique aspect of our program. Excerpts "Since President Obama made college completion a centerpiece of his higher-education agenda, there has been no shortage of projects, by foundations, college administrations, nonprofit organizations, and even state legislatures, designed to increase the number of degree and certificate holders in the United States. But one group has been conspicuously silent on the issue—students. That changed with the creation of the Community College Completion Corps, a student-led project to raise awareness of the importance of college completion, not only for students but also for colleges and the communities they serve. The corps is spearheaded by Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society at two-year colleges, but it is the honors students who design and carry out projects on their campuses. Rod Risley, Executive Director of PTK says, "Often, the voices of student advocates can spark the beginning of a college's transformation," XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Really good articles about non-academic support which I think is a great model for what the PTK members can do to encourage fellow students to graduate. The title is "How Non-Academic Supports Work: Four Mechanisms for Improving Student Outcomes" by Melinda Mechur Karp. Published in the Community College Research Center (Teachers College Columiba, " Non-Academic Supports Work: Four Mechanisms for Improving Student Outcomes" (CCRC Brief No. 54) and Toward a New Understanding of Non-Academic Student Support: Four Mechanisms Encouraging Positive Student Outcomes in the Community College Melinda Mechur Karp February 2011 CCRC Working Paper No. 28

Brief by: Melinda Mechur Karp — 2011 http://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/Publication.asp?UID=886 "The publication was a Working papers in the Assessment of Evidence Series use

the research literature to draw conclusions and provide evidence-based recommendations in eight

major topic areas: developmental assessment, developmental acceleration, developmental

mathematics pedagogy, contextualization of basic skills instruction, online learning, non-academic

support, institutional and program structure, and organizational improvement. " Based on grants from Gates Foundation and Lumina. Of the eight areas, it seems like the PTK effort can fit in the non academic support most easily.

"A review of the literature on non-academic support yields evidence of four mechanisms by which such supports can improve student outcomes: (1) creating social relationships, (2) clarifying aspirations and enhancing commitment, (3) developing college know-how, and (4) addressing conflicting demands of work, family and college." Very interesting article and may be a good area to focus the PTK membership's efforts.

This review focused on non-academic support

provided to students, defined as services, interventions, and informal activities that help

students address the social, cultural, and otherwise implicit demands of college. These

activities are not explicitly academic (in that they do not provide basic skills) but instead

are intended to help students navigate the academic world of higher education.


 * Common Non‐Academic Support Programs:**

Learning community: A pair or group of courses taken by a cohort of students, often linked by a

theme and team‐taught. Learning communities vary in their structure, from a pair of linked courses

to blocks of courses that encompass students’ entire course schedules for a semester or year. Some

learning communities include a student success course or targeted support services.

Student success course: Also called “College 101” or “Introduction to College,” this course helps

students acclimate to college by providing them with information about resources and services,

help in selecting majors and courses, and instruction in study skills. Some student success courses

have a career theme or are linked to a specific major.


 * Enhanced or intrusive advising:** Traditional advising supplemented in various ways, such as required

meetings, lower counselor‐student ratios, assigned counselors or mentors, or longer, more

intensive counseling sessions. (PTK would fall under enhance or intrusive advising) Four areas:
 * 2.1 Creating Social Relationships**

...Activities that help students interact with one another or with professors over a

prolonged period of time seem to encourage this mechanism best.2.1 Creating Social Relationships2.1 Creating Social Relationships
 * 2.2 Clarifying Aspirations and Enhancing Commitment**

....Colleges may want to leverage new technologies to help students clarify

aspirations and increase commitment to college. For example, they could help students

explore possible selves by providing video vignettes, available online, of students

pursuing various career paths, their decision-making processes, and their own

descriptions of how they are planning to achieve their goals. On the opposite end of the

spectrum—and keeping in mind how important social relationships are in encouraging

persistence—colleges might want to find ways to integrate program planning and

descriptions of utility into academic coursework.
 * 2.3 Developing College Know-How**

.....it means providing students with the opportunity to understand that postsecondary

education is a distinct culture with a set of expectations and norms that can be learned

and enacted in order to further their educational goals.
 * 2.4 Making College Life Feasible**

...Services that make life feasible, then, serve to help students overcome these

barriers so that their educational pursuits are not compromised. This mechanism

encourages positive student outcomes by making daily life easier and more manageable,

providing a little “nudge” that can help students deal with small obstacles which, left

unaddressed, might become large enough to stymie their progress toward a degree

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX = HBCU Blues: America's Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the 21st Century = http://www.huffingtonpost.com/della-britton/hbcu-funding-_b_938550.html

interesting article. review for "Summit" prep XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Great video on a Education Summit which addressed the college completion question in a panel with Andrea Mitchel:

Education Nation: “A Matter of Degrees: Measuring the Value of Higher Ed”
By ** CCA **

September 28, 2011

** <span style="color: #316a98; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">[|Comments (1)] **

http://www.completecollege.org/blog/post/education_nation_a_matter_of_degrees_measuring_the_value_of_higher_ed/ Also new report by Complete College America "Time is the Enemy" http://www.completecollege.org/state_data/