The Student Success Center Network (SSCN) Coaching Program engages community colleges in institutional transformation through institutional coaching. In the most recent phase of work, supported by Ascendium Education Group, Jobs for the Future (JFF) and Community College Research Initiatives (CCRI) engaged with grantee Centers in four…

Coaches are trusted advisors, information conduits, sounding boards, and advocates who facilitate institutional change. This report summarizes findings from the first five years of the Student Success Center Network's Coaching Program, focusing particularly on the most recent phase that engaged directly with Centers in four states (California,…

The primary goal of this evaluation report is to effectively communicate the value and impact of the Leading from the Middle (LFM) Academy to a diverse set of community college stakeholders and to provide valuable insights into the program's effectiveness. This report presents the findings from the 2021-2022 LFM Academy pilot evaluation, assessing…

Higher education institutions across the country have examined equity in education outcomes through disaggregating student demographic data. However, it is not as common for academic institutions to also examine student learning outcomes for inequities in student learning. The current study explores what the greatest contributors are for the lack…

The Research and Planning Group for California Community Colleges (RP Group) launched Leading from the Middle (LFM) in 2013 to develop and support middle leaders in community colleges across California. Each year LFM produces an internal evaluation report that presents participants' perspectives about what they learned from their experience and…

This is the executive summary for "Middle Leaders in College Redesign: Leading from the Middle 2019." The report focuses on the roles middle leaders play in Guided Pathways. This summary is organized by the three overarching outcomes of Leading from the Middle (LFM), moving from the broadest institutional level to the individual…

Community colleges and broad-access universities (those with minimally selective admissions policies) provide an opportunity for students across the United States to attain postsecondary degrees and economic mobility. However, graduation rates from such colleges are often low and there are many obstacles that can be difficult to overcome,…

The Research and Planning Group for California Community Colleges (RP Group) launched Leading from the Middle (LFM) in 2013 to support the development of middle leaders across the California Community Colleges. Every year LFM produces an internal evaluation report presenting what participants learned from their experiences; academy leaders…

The Research and Planning Group for California Community Colleges (RP Group) launched Leading from the Middle (LFM) in 2013 to support the development of middle leaders across the California Community Colleges. Every year LFM produces an internal evaluation report presenting what participants learned from their experiences; academy leaders…

Colleges and universities frequently find that students cite financial pressures as a significant obstacle in their progress toward college completion. This can particularly be a challenge for first-time-in-college (FTIC) students, students from traditionally underserved populations, and students of color. To help address this issue, many…

The Research and Planning Group for California Community Colleges (RP Group) launched Leading from the Middle (LFM) Academy in 2013 to support the professional development of middle leaders. This is an executive summary to the full report that captures reflections from both leaders of and participants in the 2016 LFM Academy, with the goal of…

The Research and Planning Group for California Community Colleges (RP Group) launched Leading from the Middle (LFM) Academy in 2013 to support the professional development of middle leaders. This report was developed for campus executive leaders and other administrators who are in positions to support and encourage leadership development at their…

A number of states are considering policy proposals to update credential or degree requirements for early educators. Practitioners, policy experts, and researchers have expressed concern, however, that well-intentioned policies to raise educator qualifications without sufficient supports may have negative consequences for the adequacy; stability;…

The Research and Planning Group for California Community Colleges (RP Group) launched Leading from the Middle (LFM) Academy in 2013 as a professional development experience for community college educators--faculty, administrators, and staff--who have formal or informal leadership responsibilities. Based on a commitment to learning from experience,…

Every adolescent faces challenges as they navigate their teenage years, but for some these challenges imperil their ability to complete their education. While these four students' experiences are dramatically different, they have one thing in common: high school didn't work for them, meaning that each faced long odds of ever attaining a diploma,…