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Background
Tallahassee Community College (TCC) is a higher education steppingstone for many students in the three Florida Panhandle counties it serves. More of its associate degree recipients – 78 percent of its 2000-01 graduates – went on to Florida State University System institutions within two years of graduation than transferred from any of the state’s other public community colleges.
However, TCC graduates only about 12 percent of the African-American students it enrolls despite having the highest percentage of African-American students among Florida ’s 28 public community colleges. While the graduation rates are somewhat better for other groups – 42 percent for Whites; 30 percent for Hispanics, and 25 percent for Asians – they reflect the fact that most of the students who enroll in TCC immediately after high school are not ready for college.
Achieving the Dream Goals
TCC has identified the following as the most salient contributors’ to students’ low performance: the lack of academic preparation among African-American students, the lack of cultural preparation among faculty, and the lack of evaluation and coordination of student services. Consequently, the college has set two priorities:
- Closing the achievement gap between African-American students and White students.
- Moving more students beyond developmental courses and through gateway courses that lead to degrees.
The college’s new Strategic Knowledge Management System will connect students with timely interventions and deliver information that informs decision-making by students, faculty, staff and administrators. TCC employees will receive training to address the needs of under-prepared and culturally diverse students. TCC will implement interventions and align academic and student support programs.
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