necc atd lacc_presentation_final_b
TRANSCRIPT
Success is what counts.
Los Angeles Community CollegeDistrict Annual Summit
Friday September 23, 2011
Keynote:Experiencing Achieving the Dream atNorthern Essex Community College
Success is what counts.
Be alert for theEpiphanies…
…and think hard abouthow to use them
Success is what counts.
Keynote Agenda
Introduction/Background
Impact of Achieving the Dream at Northern Essex
Fishbone Exercise
Epiphany: The Importance of Policy
Faculty Interest in Achieving the Dream
Success is what counts.
Your Guides
Rick Lizotte: Professor of ESL, instructional designer,faculty leader; 26 years at NECC
Co-Chairs of the Northern Essex CommunityCollege (NECC) Achieving the DreamCore Team:
Bill Heineman: Faculty member, Dean, and now VicePresident of Academic Affairs; 15 years at NECC
Success is what counts.
NECC Facts
Located in Haverhill and Lawrence, Massachusetts
Success is what counts.
NECC Facts
Over 7000 credit students each semester
On suburban Haverhillcampus
And urban Lawrencecampus
Demographics62% part-time62% female40% minority (28% Hispanic)Average age: 27Median age: 23
Success is what counts.
Achieving the Dream Comes to NECC
Four principles of institutional improvement
Committed leadership
Use of evidence
Broad engagement
Systemic institutional improvement
Success is what counts.
Precursors to Achieving the Dream
Strategic Planning
Key Performance Indicators
Process Management
Other “pockets” of a research-based approach:in grantsby individual faculty in their own inquiry
Success is what counts.
A Faculty Member’s PerspectiveWhy join Achieving the Dream?
Frustration with previous projects Got good results, but
No institutional follow-through
No support for the research
Success is what counts.
A Faculty Member’s PerspectiveWhy join Achieving the Dream?
Achieving the Dream’s Attraction Focuses on research and evidence
Relies on committed leadership (at all levels) and institutionalization of efforts
Provides support for research in the data facilitator
Has connection to other colleges with other ideas
So I became the Core Team co-chair
Success is what counts.
A Faculty Member’s Perspective Investment Grant Year tasks
Based on IR data and other explorations
Identified •Cohorts with retention problems
males, younger students, Hispanics•Possible interventions for these cohorts
math, advising, first year-experience
Success is what counts.
A Faculty Member’s PerspectiveInvestment Grant Year tasks
Initial look at causes of cohort problems:
fishbone diagramming exercise Committees and departments asked to complete diagram in
advance—why are students not retained?
All-college forum: staff and faculty
Rich ideas on causes of lack of retention
English Dept. asks for more and better data!
Indication that practices and policies also involved
Success is what counts.
A Faculty Member’s Perspective Investment Grant Year tasks
Devised three interventions based on • IR data • previous research at other colleges • and these initial exploration of causes
Built five teams
Began • to use effort to clarify challenges for students • to focus on initiatives addressing those challenges
Success is what counts.
A Faculty Member’s PerspectiveAtD produced results
An example: Math IR work showed
worst problems in developmental math
Strategies were proposed
Better results after four years in math—a sample of our results(still need to see if trend
continues)
48% 53%64%
60%
Success is what counts.
A Faculty Member’s PerspectiveAtD changed the college
More focus on student success goals from AtD
Broad cultural change across the college toward use of evidence
Both in looking at causes of problems
And in evaluating solutions
This process produced results which were Summative, in the retention and graduation data
But also formative-with surveys of all stakeholders indicating effectiveness of interventions and relation to retention
Success is what counts.
A Faculty Member’s PerspectiveAtD changed the college
Achieving the Dream spurred other efforts, among them
Staff-faculty interest group on Latino male student retention
Staff-faculty interest group on reading skills development
Writing alignment group for transition from ESL to Basic Writing to English Composition I
Success is what counts.
Fishbone Diagram Exerciseyour turn to theorize about causes of effects
Success is what counts.
Filled-in Fishbone Diagram
Success is what counts.
Back to Fishbone: Lessons Learned?
Including a wide constituencypromotes broad engagementtaps valuable experience/multiple perspectives
Models culture of inquiry you are trying to buildstarts with questionsdevelops hypothesessearches for evidence to prove/disprove
Success is what counts.
One Epiphany for NECC
…So do college policies, both large and small
Changes in policy proposed and passedNo more late registrationMandating developmental prerequisitesThe “three-peat” ruleEliminating marks that encourage course droppingOne-year limit on placement exam results
Although instruction, advising, and support in first-year do influence student success…
Success is what counts.
Thank You!
Questions?
Rick Lizotte: [email protected] Heineman: [email protected]