State Policy Issues

Listening Tour Reports

The Summary Report  on the 2004 Listening Tour includes an overview of policy issues that emerged from discussions in each state, recommendations for Achieving the Dream’s work, and suggestions for future Listening Tours. The Summary also includes state-by-state reports that address several questions, including: (1) What might a policy agenda for increasing success rates for community college students in this state look like? (2) How well does the state collect and use data about student outcomes? (3) What are the main obstacles to student success in community colleges in this state? (4) What policies are currently in place that affect success for community college students?

The Policy Matrix  is a detailed list of policy issues/problems that emerged from Listening Tour discussions, indicating which issues were mentioned in each state. It includes issues related to financial aid, academic preparation, developmental education, support services, data, and other topics.

State-by-State Reports summarize the answers to several questions that were discussed in all five states: (1) What might a policy agenda for increasing success rates for community college students in this state look like? (2) How well does the state collect and use data about student outcomes? (3) What are the main obstacles to student success in community colleges in this state? (4) What policies are currently in place that affect success for community college students?

In advance of Listening Tour meetings, each state prepared background materials for attendees. These materials include information on the state’s community college system, descriptions of current policies and programs related to student success, and information on state data collection and use.

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