ACHIEVING THE DREAM EQUITY RESOURCE CENTER HOME 

Achieving the Dream urges colleges to make a 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 impede student success, colleges help address America’s growing disparities in income and wealth.

About the Equity Resource Center

The Equity Resource Center contains tools and resources to help colleges reduce achievement gaps on their campuses and promote success for all their students. The Equity Resource Center houses resources produced by Achieving the Dream partners:

A Tale of Two Students;

Increasing Student Success:Why Equity Matters;

"The Finish Line" simulation is available for beta-testing upon request. Contact Achieving the Dream staff at Info@Achievingthedream.org to learn more;

Inventory on Diversity and Equity; and

Minority Male Success Database.

The Equity Resource Center also contains profiles of successful equity-focused interventions at Achieving the Dream institutions. Some colleges have made great progress with equity interventions that close the achievement gaps for their low-income students and students of color. Read descriptions of successful interventions from Houston Community College, Jackson Community College and Valencia Community College.

Finding Resources

The Equity Resource Center includes tools and readings from ATD partners and other organizations and authors that add depth and breadth to the field. Resources on the Equity Resource Center are grouped into five categories: Recognize, Assess, Act, Evaluate, and Sustain. Resources in each section are divided into Achieving the Dream Resources or articles that all member institutions should read and understand, created by Achieving the Dream Partners, and Additional Resources, resources available for colleges seeking to deepen their knowledge in a specific subject.

RECOGNIZE helps colleges deepen their understanding of the Achieving the Dream perspective on the equity and structural inequity. Resources in this section discuss the differences between equity and equality, and describe the impacts of the achievement gap on students, families, and the American economy. This section is recommended for colleges that are just beginning their work with equity and those that seek to deepen their understanding of this work.

ASSESS helps colleges understand the inequities at work in their own institutions. Resources in this section help colleges assess their practices, policies, and competencies in the area of equity, and promote dialogue about how these areas can be improved. This section is recommended for colleges that are trying to understand which interventions will make the greatest changes in equity on their campuses.

ACT offers resources to colleges to help them begin to plan substantive equity interventions on their campuses. This section contains tools for colleges that range from a comprehensive plan from California’s community colleges to improve access, diversity and equity, to a searchable database of interventions that have promoted minority male success, to a discussion guide for state and community college leaders, and many more. This section is recommended for colleges beginning to plan their equity-focused interventions.

EVALUATE contains tools that help colleges measure the impact of their equity interventions on closing the achievement gap and increasing student success. Some resources on the site focus on evaluation that takes power and privilege into account, while another offers an “Inclusive Excellence Scorecard” to help colleges rate their progress. This section is recommended for colleges that have already put an equity intervention into place and are seeking to understand its usefulness in reducing achievement gaps.

SUSTAIN provides materials that help reinforce the progress that colleges have made toward equity by deepening and improving their interventions. The resources in this section help colleges respond to the information that they gained from evaluating their interventions, provide tips for maintaining the momentum of an equity intervention, and provide additional resources for minority students and strong teachers. This section is recommended for colleges that have completed and evaluated their equity interventions and are looking for more ways to promote equity on their campuses.

Help us build the ERC

Give us your feedback and suggestions for content here. If you have a suggestion for an additional profile on college equity, please describe it in the comments section.