Achieving the Dream: Completing Educational Goals for the Workforce

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Achieving the Dream Completing Educational Goals
for the Workforce

• Annual Conference of the Middle States
  Commission on Higher Education
• December 2008

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AtD

• Dr. Virginia M. Carter, Provost
• Delaware County Community College, Media, PA
• gcarter_at_dccc.edu
• Dr. Judith Gay, Vice President for Academic
  Affairs
• Community College of Philadelphia, Philadelphia,
  PA
• jgay_at_ccp.edu
• Dr. John C. Flynn, Jr. Vice President of Academic
  Affairs and provost
• Montgomery County Community College, Blue Bell,
  PA
• jflynn_at_mc3.edu

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Goals for today

• To provide information about the achievement gaps
  in education and how AtD initiatives are
  attempting to close the gaps
• To explore the systematic changes in institutions
  at three different levels to address the gaps
• To provide examples of how three different
  institutions met the challenge of improving
  student success

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Workforce Issues

• Workforce Issues
• In the next 10 years nearly 25 of the workforce
  must be replaced
• The level of education needed to earn a middle
  class living has increased significantly
• Philadelphia is 92nd of the 100 largest cities in
  number of residents with a college education

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National Data

• 1,157 Community Colleges
• 6.66 million credit students in CCs ( 12.7
  African American, 6.2 Asian, 14.2 Hispanic and
  58.6 white)
• 5 million non-credit students in CCs
• Average age is 29
• 37.8 receive some aid and of the Federal aid,
  35 are receiving Pell grants
• According to NCES 2004 data

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AtD Data

• According to DATA Notes July November 2008
• Females referred to developmental education were
  more likely to persist and outperform their male
  counterparts
• Nearly 25 of all students leave during their
  first year for reasons other than transfer or
  credential attainment

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AtD Data cont.

• The profile of the highest dropout occurs for
  males, black, 20-24, needing developmental
  education, and starting part time.

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AtD Objectives

• Increase the percentage of students who
  accomplish the following
• successfully complete the course they take
• advance from remedial to credit-bearing courses
• enroll in and successfully complete gatekeeper
  courses
• enroll from one semester to the next
• earn degrees or certificates.

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AtD at the Macro level

• Changing an Institution
• Central to mission
• Not a project
• Data driven
• A realignment of culture

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AtD at the Macro level

• Broad Based Planning
• LRP, MS self study, internal/division planning
• Data driven CSSE, Benchmark data, internal
  information
• Alignment of questions
• Changing the landscape

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Institutional Impact of AtD

• Increased faculty, community and Board
  involvement (K-16, collaboration, dual
  enrollment, summer youth)
• Focus on planning
• Organizational changes Director of First Year
  Experiences
• Student Success Squad
• Registration and system changes

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Institutional Impact cont.

• Successful Starts
• Expansion of the Center for Excellence in
  Teaching and Learning
• Developmental Studies consortium
• Developmental Summit
• Sharing across institutions
• Sharing faculty to faculty

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AtD
Professional Development Goal Improve student
outcomes by increasing the use of effective
educational practices. Focus Theme-based
professional development programs new online
journal, Praktikos, targeted professional
development workshops
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AtD-CCP

• Faculty are most interested in increasing use of
  Group/Hands on projects

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AtD CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES - 1

• Goal Decrease the amount of time some students
  spend in developmental Math.
• Focus is on students who score in the higher tier
  of the Accuplacer test.

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Interventions Innovations

• MAT 010B is a two-week arithmetic refresher
  course offered prior to the fall and spring
  semesters.
• MAT 011B is a 4 credit beginning algebra class
  that incorporates a review of arithmetic.
• Both new options enable a qualified student to
  complete two semesters of dev math in less time
  and save money.
• students with appropriate placement scores may
  register for these alternative options.

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Findings
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AtD CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES - 2

• GOAL Increase student success in Math 010
• focus is on students who score in the lower tier
  of the
• Accuplacer test.
• Supplemental Instruction (peer tutors) in
  arithmetic classes
• Learning Communities
• MAT 010 (Arithmetic) faculty orientation
• MAT 010 Blackboard site for faculty
• Math Course Information Guide for
  advisors/faculty
• Alternative approaches in the arithmetic
  curriculum

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AtD

• College Websites
• Delaware County Community College www.dccc.edu
• Community College of Philadelphia www.ccp.edu
• Montgomery County Community College www.mc3.edu
• Achieving the Dream - www.achievingthedream.org

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Questions