Welcome. Texas Completion by Design. Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Transcription

1 Welcome Texas Completion by Design Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

2 Welcome Texas Completion by Design Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

3 What is CBD? Five year community college reform effort aimed to help more low-income young adults complete more quickly and with greater rates of success The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will provide nearly $40 million over five years to four states The largest investment to date in higher education for the Foundation

4 Who is CBD After a rigorous application process, only four grants were awarded in the nation: Florida Miami Dade College North Carolina Guilford Technical Community College Ohio Sinclair Community College Texas Lone Star College System

5 Texas CBD Cadre Alamo Colleges Dallas County Community College District El Paso Community College Lone Star College System South Texas College

6 Why CBD? By 2018, 63% of all jobs will require education beyond high school. As a nation, the U.S. ranks 8 th in the number of students who complete a degree As a state, Texas ranks 45 th in attainment of Associate s degrees, 42 nd in residents aged with an associate s or higher The TX CBD cadre represents 255,000 students 1/3 of all college students in the state

7 The Challenge of Completion For Colleges: Financial Incentives aligned with access, not completion Under-resourced Innovations tend to be isolated Change is hard, even when the will is there For Students: Easy to enroll, easy to drop out Many enter without a clear plan, and need developmental education Lack of confidence, financial resources and family support

8 Question How can a community college raise completion rates for large numbers of students while containing costs, maintaining open access and ensuring quality?

9 Answer Develop strong completion pathways, defined as integrated policies, practices and programs designed to maximize students progress from start to finish.

10 How? Analyze and understand the common barriers and momentum points that students experience Implement and integrate proven and promising practices to provide students with the quickest, straightest path to a degree Create the conditions for change by empowering interdisciplinary, crosscampus delegations of faculty, staff and administrators Build infrastructure for continuous improvement

11 Supporting Student Success: PREVENTING LOSS, CREATING MOMENTUM a system designed for student completion CONNECTION Interest to Application ENTRY Enrollment to Completion of Gatekeepr Courses PROGRESS Entry into Course Study To 75% Requirements Completed COMPLETION Complete Course of Study to Credential with Labor Market Value

12 Supporting Student Success: PREVENTING LOSS, CREATING MOMENTUM a system designed for student completion How do we help prospective students prepare for college-level programs? How do we work with prospective and current students to help them understand their options, goals and select a program of study? Which student supports, incentives and requirements encourage students to remain engaged and make progress in their program? What incentives and supports encourage students to complete, transfer and/or attain employment? Technology capacity Leadership focused on completion Faculty/staff engagement and professional development Culture of Improvement and use of data Student centered change

13 Objectives Raise the number and percentage of students who enter a program of study, and shorten the period between when students first enroll and when they enter a program Increase completion rates for students who have entered a program of study, and shorten the period in which they achieve completion Ensure that academic programs prepare students for a 4-year college or university, and that career-technical programs help prepare students for entrance into and/or advancement in the labor market

14 CBD Initiative Provide Thought Leadership, Resources & Financial Support Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Design, Deliver & Coordinate Technical Assistance CDAT Staff & National Assistance Partners Implement Institutional Change Strategies to completion Managing Partners & Participating Colleges/Campuses Develop Policies & Advocate for Systemic Change Within States Policy Leads & Participating Colleges/Campuses COMPLETION BY DESIGN INITIATIVE Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Completion by Design is a five year community college redesign effort focused on increasing community college completion rates for large numbers of students while containing college costs, maintaining open access, and ensuring the quality of community college programs and credentials. The initiative uses a data-driven approach to help colleges strengthen pathways to completion for students and build the capacity and culture necessary for ongoing improvement. Outcome The majority of lowincome community college students under 26 earn a degree or credential that prepares them for further education or success in the workplace.

15 State Partners

16 National Partners Partner Expertise Resources Provided CDAT (Completion by Design Assistance Team) Educational practice, data analysis and utilization, leadership, finance, systems change and policy CDAT will provide each managing partner with the expert technical assistance required to address the full range of postsecondary educational matters The Bridgespan Group Cost and Productivity Analysis Briefs on cost analysis for community colleges; search for the Senior Partner position Community College Research Center (CCRC) Data Analysis Ongoing support for data submission; pathway analysis; orientation to pathway analysis results Jobs for the Future (JFF) Policy Analysis State policy scan through the lens of completion; support to policy lead to develop completion-focused policy agenda Public Agenda Facilitation Training Facilitator and recorder training Pyramid Communications Completion by Design website WestEd Research and Knowledge Management Publication of Action Guide; Development and technical assistance of Knowledge Center

17 Building Capacities Completion Pathway: The integrated set of policies, practices, programs and processes intentionally designed to maximize student completion across the loss-momentum framework. Design Principles 1. Anchored in clearly-defined learning competencies (to allow for quality, flexibility, and acceleration ) 2. Prioritizes accelerating academic catch-up 3. Differentiates/customizes instruction and support to optimize each student s credential attainment 4. Leverages technology to significantly improve learning, student services, and manage costs 5. Promotes enrollment in structured and coherent programs of study 6. Provides timely data to inform decision making (for students, faculty and administrators) 7. Integrates seamlessly with K-12, transfer partners and employers State System Capacity: Characteristics of the state policy environment that enable diffusion of the pathway State-level champions: Policymakers, higher education, business and community leaders committed to completion Expertise in Completion-Practices: Community College leaders and policymakers knowledgeable about practices to support completion State policy aligns to completion: State policies incentivizes adoption of completion pathway design principles High-Performing College Capacity: The capacities/skills essential to designing and maintaining the completion pathway Learning-focused leadership: Leadership at all levels (trustees, administrators, faculty, student services) makes student learning and completion top priority Data Analysis Capacity: Expertise in sophisticated analysis of student outcome and financial data to inform practice improvement and resource allocation Technology Capacity---uses technology to increase efficiency of service delivery and support sophisticated data analysis Culture of Improvement and Innovation: Staff at all levels (trustees, administration, faculty, student services) engaged in continuous innovation to improve experience for most students

18 Phases Three Distinct Phases: Phase I Planning 12 months TX CBD will design a model pathway to completion that will help more young people stay in college and complete. The pathway will be founded on proven practices and data-based evidence. Phase II Implementation months (beginning Fall 2012) If the model pathway is approved by the foundation, it will be implemented at colleges within the TX cadre. Phase III Scaling 12 months Following successful implementation, this phase will focus on policy implications and changes, and the scaling up of the project for national impact.

19 Inquiries Amy Welch State Director, Texas Completion by Design Government Affairs & Institutional Advancement Lone Star College System