In 2021, the Research and Planning Group for California Community Colleges (the RP Group) conducted a survey of institutional research, planning, and effectiveness (IRPE) offices in the California Community Colleges (CCC) system. The purpose of this survey was to: (1) Identify key research and planning priorities and activities of the IRPE…

Even in this endemic period, the California Community Colleges continues to make progress toward meeting its Vision for Success goals, established nearly five years ago to set a path to increase certificate and degree attainment, improve transfer and close equity gaps. This report details the goals outlined in the system's Vision for Success and…

Creating engaging student-faculty interactions has been a challenge for instructors teaching at community colleges in the United States. The purpose of this research study was to explore the relationship between student-faculty interactions and students' course engagement and completion. To explore this relationship, the research study collected…

This study explores how a transnational sense of belonging is constructed within and through heritage language (HL) learning among second-generation Korean American adults throughout their life trajectories. Drawing from eight semi-structured interviews, I show how engaging in HL learning has situated these individuals within transnational social…

Many low-income young people of color living in cities today face great adversity and the resiliency of the cities they live in is being challenged on many fronts: violence, poverty, gentrification, and homelessness as well as the threat of global climate change. The predicament is that, despite their enthusiasm and innate intelligence on the…

Research for Action (RFA) in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin is engaged in a five-year mixed-methods study of the reforms associated with California AB 705. Over the course of the study, our team will assess the implementation, impact, and cost effectiveness of reforms associated with the law. This second interim report,…

Today, we revisit our initial stance of eliminating standardized test scores from the college admissions process to improve equity and student diversity. With refreshed data about test-optional admissions, we address the import of institutional responsiveness to redress persistent equity gaps that impact our state's workforce diversity and hiring…

Students believe mathematics is best learned by memorization; however, endorsing memorization as a study strategy is associated with a decrease in learning (Schoenfeld, 1989). When the world changed with the onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic, instruction transitioned to fully remote instruction where many assignments and examinations became…

In response to the significant and still growing number of college students experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity in California, the State Legislature appropriated $9 million in the 2019-2020 State Budget for ongoing funding to provide housing services to students. Per section 9795 of the statute, colleges, in partnership with local…

Objective: The COVID-19 global pandemic has created severe, long-lasting challenges to college students in the United States (US). In the present study, we assessed mental health symptomatology (depression, anxiety, life stress), academic challenges, and economic stress during the first wave of the Coronavirus pandemic. Method: A total sample of…

Research question: For students enrolling in introductory computer science classes at community colleges, how did they experience the class in an emergency remote teaching environment, particularly in contrast to in-person instruction at the start of the semester? Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 students from diverse…

The continued significance of Derrick Bell's "theory of racial realism" is exemplified by the exclusionary sociopolitical and institutional climate that Latinx students experienced throughout the Trump presidency. I utilize various tenets from CRT and LatCrit as analytical and methodological tools for conducting a qualitative study at…

This phenomenological study examined the experiences of students with learning disabilities (LD) in acquiring the metacognitive skills necessary for success in California community college. Within 8 years of high school graduation, over 67% of young adults with LD will enroll in post-secondary education, many choosing a community college. The rate…

In this article, Michael McAfee and Mauricio Torre reflect on the successes and challenges of the Promise Neighborhoods movement as it works toward education equity, and on what it takes to effect large-scale, sustainable change for low-income communities and communities of color. Together they discuss the Chula Vista Promise Neighborhood project…

The prolonged COVID-19 pandemic has placed postsecondary institutions in unfamiliar territory. Undoubtedly, postsecondary education must adapt to the realities of the pandemic, finding new ways to define academic expectations and rigor. Currently, COVID-19-related conversations among educators often default to focusing on students' race and…