This study examined California Community Colleges' administrator decisions about online proctoring software during the COVID-19 global pandemic between March 2020 and June 2022. Understanding how decisions were made, by whom, what information was considered, and how information was evaluated can support more informed decision making regarding…

This dissertation examines the efficacy of a professional development program in developing data literate and culturally proficient community college instructors. Existing research suggests that there is a need for high-quality professional development in Cultural Proficiency and data literacy for community college instructors to make continuous…

Various inequities and challenges facing Latinx students in community colleges continue to be documented. Yet, less documented are the challenges associated with "advocacy efforts" to support Latinx and other underrepresented Students of Color within the community college sector. There is not often pause to consider: "who advocates…

Tarrant County College's Achieving the Dream transformation has not only changed the college but all who engaged in the initiative. In four years, through ATD TCC became a college with one purpose, one goal, and one focus--student success through data informed decision making. From TCC Chancellor Dr. Erma Johnson Hadley to campus administrators,…

This chapter provides a conceptual model that academic leaders can use to navigate the complex, and often contentious, organizational terrain of academic program development. The model includes concepts related to the institution's external environment, as well as internal organizational structures, cultures, and politics. Drawing from the…

This convergent parallel design mixed methods case study of four community colleges explores the relationship between organizational capacity and implementation of data-driven decision making (DDDM). The article also illustrates purposive sampling using replication logic for cross-case analysis and the strengths and weaknesses of quantitizing…

As a growing entity within higher education organizational structures, enrollment managers (EMs) are primarily tasked with projecting, recruiting, and retaining the student population of their campuses. Enrollment managers are expected by institutional presidents as well as through industry standards to make data-driven planning decisions to reach…

The current rhetoric around using data to improve community college student outcomes with only limited research on data-driven decision-making (DDDM) within postsecondary education compels a more comprehensive understanding of colleges' capacity for using data to inform decisions. Based on an analysis of faculty and administrators' perceptions and…

As community colleges receive attention focused on their role in addressing postsecondary needs, they are subject to varying levels of accountability, which necessitates the development of strategic approaches to leading institutions. Burke (2005) recognizes three accountability perspectives that higher education institutions must consider:…

Achieving the Dream (ATD) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to improving outcomes among community college students, especially low-income students and students of color. A central ATD strategy is to promote a "culture of evidence," in which colleges collect, analyze, and make decisions based on information about students in…

States wrestling with the challenge of increasing community college student completion rates recognize that a critical next step is building support among faculty for reform efforts. Faculty can play a crucial role in bridging the historic divide between policy and practice. Empowering faculty to take a substantive role in informing policy…

This research focused on identifying and exploring the significant current and emerging community college non-academic support service issues. These auxiliary services, not unlike academic or student affairs, support the community college mission and vision as well as students' academic success. Since December 2007, Americans have been…

The purpose of this study was to gauge the impact of mandatory student success courses on community college student persistence at Hispanic-Serving Institutions. The subsequent analysis was conducted in the context of data-driven decision making and student persistence leadership, where student and campus level data can be used by community…

Enrollment is rising across the nation's community colleges, but completion rates remain untenably low. Reformers are focusing on the importance of using comprehensive, high-quality data on student progress and completion to bring about change. A core tenet of Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count has been to embed a culture of…

Design-Based Implementation Research is the process of engaging "learning scientists, policy researchers, and practitioners in a model of collaborative, iterative, and systematic research and development" designed to address persistent problems of teaching and learning. Addressing persistent problems of teaching and learning requires…