ATD Publications
ATD Success Policy Brief 2009 Print E-mail
Earning a postsecondary credential has never been more critical to getting a job that pays family-supporting wages. Today’s students, who understand the importance of education beyond high school, are enrolling in higher education—community colleges, in particular—at record rates. But too many of the students who enroll in community college are not on track for success. Six out of ten must take at least one developmental education course before they can enroll in college-level courses. This decreases their individual chances of ultimately earning a credential. Moreover, it compromises our global economic competitiveness when the nation’s education attainment rate goes down.

Achieving the Dream, a national initiative to improve student success in community colleges, has taken a multipronged approach to improving outcomes in developmental education. This issue brief describes how the fifteen participating states have concentrated their policy efforts on four key areas: Preventative Strategies, Assessment and Placement, Implementation and Evaluation of Program Innovation, and Performance Measurement and Incentives.

Click here to read the entire brief.
pdf atd_brief_success_060809

 
Promoting Student Success Through ATD Print E-mail

As the Pennsylvania Achieving the Dream community colleges enter the third year of the initiative, they consistently utilize data to drive a culture of evidence, develop innovations, and implement strategies. During the 2nd Annual 2008 Achieving the Dream Student Success Forum, participants engaged in roundtable discussions focused on priority areas to enhance student success. Small groups of community college educators, administrators, and stakeholders shared strategies and promising practices that can infl uence education policy. Through the exploration of college and workforce readiness, student success strategies, and data collection issues, it became evident that a commitment to investing in student success is essential!

Click here to view the report: pdf promoting_student_success

 
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Featured Member College

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With an annual enrollment of about 80,000 credit and noncredit students, the Community College of Allegheny College (CCAC) is the largest provider of educational services in western Pennsylvania. To meet the workforce needs of the region and the educational goals of its citizens, CCAC offers more than 170 academic programs and a host of professional development, public safety, community services and community education courses for lifelong learning.

Click here to learn more.

 
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pdf Focus! Student Stories Issue
 
Pennsylvania community colleges responded to record joblessness with tuition waivers for local unemployed workers.  3,100 Pennsylvanians have received workforce training or vocational education since the Spring 2009 semester under this program.