The California Community Colleges (CCC) launched Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) after the passage of SB164 (1969). Colleges leverage their EOPS funding to offer academic, career, and personal counseling; financial resources; and services "over and above" traditional campus supports. This latest research builds on the…

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study is to describe the perceptions first-generation students (FGS) have of the academic impact of student support services (SSS) received while attending community college (CC) in the areas of student academic achievement, student engagement, student persistence, student satisfaction, and development…

Academic support services are an important institutional resource that can support student success and retention. However, little research has examined undocumented students' resource uptake, aside from demonstrating that exclusionary policies and experiences reduce undocumented students' access to and use of institutional resources. In this…

To boost college graduation rates, policymakers often advocate for academic supports such as coaching or mentoring. Proactive and intensive coaching interventions are effective, but are costly and difficult to scale. We evaluate a relatively lower-cost group coaching program targeted at first-year college students placed on academic probation.…

Though college enrollment rates for Mexican-American students have increased over the past years, Mexican-Americans still have one of the lowest rates for degree completion. However, more work is recognizing the strengths of students of Mexican descent, particularly those related to culture such as familism, and calling for asset-based programs…

This study focused on the policy impact of SB 1456 (2012) on students enrolled in rural community colleges in California. SB 1456 (2012) was signed into law with the intent to increase student success rates that ultimately resulted in the completion of educational goals for students in California Community Colleges (CCC). In order to examine the…

This brief provides recommendations for the professional development (PD) of teachers, administrators, and school personnel in order to improve student outcomes. The significant achievement gap for diverse learners--including students with disabilities, a vast majority of whom are also culturally and/or linguistically diverse--can be reduced…

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to identify the experiences that support the success of Latina/o community college students who began in basic skills courses at two or more levels below college-level and went on to complete college-level English and math. Fifteen Latina/o community college students attending a large…

California community colleges are facing serious obstacles in relation to students of color achieving academic success. African American men see the community college as a pathway toward economic and social mobility; however, collectively they have disparate outcomes in every conceivable marker of success; persistence, achievement, transfer,…

Despite federal and state laws and regulations that require states and local districts to provide English language learners (ELLs) with support services, prior research has indicated that ELLs are, in general, lagging behind non-ELLs in academic achievement. An unanswered question is whether the initial designation of students as ELL influences…

A large number of community college students are developmental students. One of the most important challenges for community colleges today is to create programs that effectively educate community college developmental students. This study examines the effect of learning assistance centers on the success and persistence of students at a Southern…

This report provides campus and system leaders with a scan of the current state of reform within the California State University (CSU), together with contextual insight into the obstacles and possibilities for broader scale adoption of coordinated, systemic change. Researchers: (1) Reviewed information on evidence-based student success strategies…

This report discusses the findings from a three-year study of the California State University STEM Collaboratives project, funded by the Helmsley Charitable Trust. The project selected eight CSU campuses to rethink the ways in which they support first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented minority students in science, technology,…

The 6-yr degree-completion rate of undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors at U.S. colleges and universities is less than 40%. Persistence among women and underrepresented minorities (URMs), including African-American, Latino/a, Native American, and Pacific Islander students, is even more troubling, as these…

Dual enrollment is viewed by many as part of a promising college preparation strategy for a broad range of students. But as participation in dual enrollment has expanded across the country, there has been increasing attention paid to the rigor and authenticity of dual enrollment courses, particularly for those courses held on high school campuses…