Completing math coursework in the first year, among other milestones, points to longer term success for community or technical college (CTC) students. Despite colleges working to improve math achievement in more recent years, not all students attempt math in their first year. Practitioners of math pathways, however, suggest that when colleges work…

Delaware Technical Community College (DTCC) is a two-year, open admission college that has served the needs of Delawareans for over 50 years. Throughout these years, low pass rates in certain developmental and gatekeeper courses have been a noticeable problem. Two such courses are Elementary Algebra (MAT020) and Anatomy & Physiology I…

For 8 years Washington State has operated a performance funding policy, the Student Achievement Initiative (SAI). The policy allocates appropriations to the state's 34 community and technical colleges based on points earned through student achievement of college-readiness, retention, and completion milestones. Grounded in a conceptual framework of…

Amid growing signs of America's weakening position in the global economy, federal and state policymakers and major foundations have set ambitious goals for increasing postsecondary attainment in the United States. Given changing U.S. demographics, it has become clear that these national goals are attainable only with vastly improved outcomes among…

In September 2007, the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) officially launched the Student Achievement Initiative, a system-wide policy to reward colleges for improvements in student achievement. Developed by a task force comprised of State Board members, college trustees, presidents, and faculty representatives,…

This study examines courses in the marketing program at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College to compare the academic performance of students in traditional and learning community classroom settings. Two sections of students, a traditional 17-week course and a block scheduled 5-week course, served as the sample in the study. The block scheduling…

This report presents a 25-year plan to raise academic achievement levels and to create a seamless system of lifelong learning in postsecondary schools in the state of Washington. A focus is placed on access in terms of learning, individual enrichment and economic advancement for the people of Washington State. Factors such as increased enrollment,…