ACHIEVING THE DREAM EQUITY RESOURCE CENTER 

Achieving the Dream urges colleges to make a strong commitment to eliminating achievement gaps while improving outcomes for all students. The initiative helps institutions examine their policies, practices, and institutional culture with the goal of reducing inequities that create barriers to success. To achieve high rates of success for all students, especially students who traditionally have faced the most significant barriers to achievement, institutions must have a student-centered vision, a culture of evidence and accountability and a commitment to equity and excellence. By addressing the structural inequities that are barriers to student success, colleges can address an important societal problem – America’s growing disparities in income and wealth.

Successful Interventions

Some colleges have made great progress in equity interventions that close the achievement gaps for their low-income students and students of color. Read case studies of successful interventions from Houston Community College, Jackson Community College and Valencia Community College.

What is structural inequity? Societal organizations and structures that, intentionally or not, benefit one group over another

Is it the result of individual or group attitudes? It is not solely the result of personal attitudes and behaviors. Personal beliefs certainly play an important role, but our belief systems are influenced by cultural values, national convictions, and institutional and public practices in complex ways that give some individuals and groups advantage over others.

What difference does this make at community colleges and in higher education generally? Equity does not mean treating all students the same. Equitable treatment offers each student the encouragement, opportunities and support that he or she needs to succeed. Equity is at the heart of student success because different students have different needs for resources and support.

To help colleges in their quest to address structural inequity and improve student outcomes, Achieving the Dream has gathered resources that look at student success through an equity lens. These resources are organized into five separate but interrelated categories to help users find the materials most appropriate for their needs.

Recognize : Contains definitions, descriptions and analyses of structural inequity. These are useful for raising awareness and deepening understanding of the issues.
Assess : Provides colleges with tools to analyze and understand the structural inequities operating in their own institutions.
Act : Offers colleges resources to begin planning substantive action.
Evaluate : Contains methods and tools to help colleges measure the impact of interventions.
Sustain : Provides materials to help reinforce the progress that institutions make toward equity.

Coming!

The Equity Resource Center will be growing. In time, we hope to include:

1. examples and case studies from colleges that have completed successful interventions
2. more articles
3. more tools
4. videos
5. an interactive space where we can share equity ideas, methods and more

Help us build the ERC. Give us your feedback and suggestions for content here.