What works to help community college students progress academically? This brief synthesizes 20 years of rigorous research by MDRC, presenting new evidence about key attributes of community college interventions that are positively related to larger impacts on students' academic progress. Findings: Findings are based on a synthesis of evidence from…

COVID-19 created unplanned, fully remote educational spaces. One California community college tutor training program augmented their tutor training practices to pivot to meet the needs of students now confronted with fully online learning. Using a mixed-methodology approach (e.g., survey and focus groups/individual interviews) over the course of…

With changes to placement testing and many students being able to self-place into college-level courses, first-year community college students are often entering English composition classes without a strong academic skillset. Tutoring can be a way to support students, but many do not attend tutoring. At a rural community college, students in two…

Many scholars have sought to measure the effectiveness of diverse supplemental instruction programs. Nevertheless, it is difficult to generalize about supplemental instruction or compare data, given methodological and statistical incongruities and diverse approaches and student populations at various institutions. Quantitative and qualitative data…

Student writing center use has been associated with positive academic outcomes, yet less attention has been paid to what, exactly, influences their participation. The researcher surveyed 434 community college students on a range of demographic and academic variables, as well as their level of self-efficacy in writing, to predict their writing…

This study examines two 5-year longitudinal data sets of community college students (n = 595 and n = 593) to explore factors associated with successful outcomes in developmental mathematics. Logistic regression models consider the role of demographic factors, course format, and student support structures on the likelihood of a student completing…

Recruitment and retention in the sciences is both difficult and crucial, especially in the community college setting. In this study, the resources used by General Chemistry I students at two different public, predominantly two-year colleges in two states were studied via surveys for a semester. Data were analyzed with respect to student attitudes…

A challenge that community colleges continue to face is how to strengthen the education they provide in ways that lead to increased college completion and equity in student outcomes. Information gleaned from the Center's survey research and student focus groups over nearly two decades has produced the awareness that substantial improvement in…

The purpose of this qualitative action research study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of first-generation, Caucasian community college students and their knowledge of opportunities to utilize beneficial social capital in the form of academic tutoring and access to technology within the Alabama Community College System (ACCS) and how…

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…

Shifting demographics within the state of California and more specifically within the California Community College System have created a need for equitable processes to promote the success of students. Students who enter community colleges should be afforded the same level of support whether they enter virtually or in-person. The development of…

The purpose of this study was to determine predictors of community college student academic success in corequisite English and mathematics courses. Academic success was defined dichotomously on a pass or fail basis. The population included 1,934 students enrolled in at least one corequisite English and/or mathematics course at a community college…

Many students who enter community college are deemed underprepared for college-level courses and are referred to developmental (remedial) education courses to build their math, reading, or writing skills. These students often struggle in developmental courses and in college more broadly. To help them, the City University of New York (CUNY)…

With high numbers of immigrant students enrolled in community colleges it is important "institutional agents" (Dowd, Pak, Bensimon, 2013) support the unique needs of immigrant students to increase college transfer and degree completion. Using the "funds of knowledge" framework (Gonzalez, Moll & Amanti, 2005), this study…

When students begin their education at community colleges, they may face more obstacles to obtaining their college education than students starting in four-year institutions. Research has shown the importance of academic and student services in the support of student athletes, that community college student athletes are often at academic risk, and…