Project

Study of Practices of Effective Community College Workforce Programs

October 2020

The Heldrich Center worked with the Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University on a study of the practices of community college workforce programs that are effective in enabling students to complete postsecondary credentials. The study examined program-level practices in career and technical programs in two-year public colleges in Washington State that help students complete a credential quickly and efficiently. These program-level practices include the following: prescribed programs of study with clear requirements and few confusing choices, programs that are aligned with transfer and labor market opportunities, high-quality information on programs and program requirements, and active advisement of students to help students make decisions and access college resources when needed. The study examined a set of high- and low-performing programs (in terms of completion rates) to determine the extent to which these practices are associated with program performance. The study included a review of college and telephone interviews with key college staff, including deans, department chairs, faculty, and counselors.

Status

Completed

Project Sponsor

Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University via a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant

Approaches & Services

Evaluation, Statistics, Data visualizaiton, sample services