Bunker Hill Community College
Bunker Hill Community College’s (BHCC) teaching and learning environment has been positively impacted by its student success initiatives, but most noticeably the college’s Learning Communities have been associated with enhancing success.
Learning Communities interventions are driving measurable student success rate improvements, as can be evidenced by:
- Fall-to-spring persistence rates for Fall 2009 Learning Community students were 10 percentage points higher than the general college population
- Fall-to-fall retention for Fall 2009 Learning Community students were 14 percentage points higher than the general college population
- Fall-to-fall-to-spring retention rates for Fall 2009 Learning Community students were 12 percentage points higher than the general college population
BHCC is effectively using data to create institutional change that will close achievement gaps and enhance student success rates. Leadership committed to fostering a culture of evidence, broad engagement, and systemic institutional improvement is also driving success at BHCC as evidenced through the creation and development of several college success initiatives.
BHCC is also analyzing data on increased success rates in Developmental Clusters to inform its decisions to offer an Accelerated Developmental Math Cluster.
BHCC is an open-access, multi-campus, urban institution located in the Boston metropolitan area that serves the diverse educational needs of its multi-ethnic, global community.
For Fall 2009, approximately 63% of the college’s 11,000 students were students of color, while its international students hail from more than 90 countries. Fifty-six percent of all students received Pell grants.
The richness of diversity both demands and invites a dedication to a dynamic educational environment that is accessible to, and fosters the success of, all ethnic and racial groups represented among BHCC students. The college offers a sound foundation in developmental studies, as well as a variety of levels of English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction.
The college’s Achieving the Dream work aims to use data to implement strategies that will help students persist, succeed, and graduate by:
- Creating the Dreamkeepers Student Emergency Assistance Fund
- Developing the LifeMap online platform
- Hosting the “Getting Past Go—The Journey to Completion” strategic planning conference
- Hiring two additional full-time Success Coaches: a data-driven decision
- Having 109 unduplicated faculty and staff participants in professional development programs in 2010-2011
- Institutionalizing a Learning Community Seminar, and bringing to scale over 100 Learning Communities.
The implementation of new and improved strategies helps promote institutional change that is necessary to enhance student learning and success, the college’s number one goal.
The Achieving the Dream Model
Achieving the Dream community colleges commit to our Student-Centered Model of Institutional Improvement. Based on four principles, the model frames the overall work of helping more students, particularly low- income students and students of color, stay in school and earn a college certificate or degree.
Each college approaches the work differently, but Achieving the Dream’s five-step process provides practical guidelines for keeping the focus where it belongs and building momentum over time. Throughout the process, Achieving the Dream coaches offer customized support and help each college’s core team implement data-informed programs and policies that build long-term, institution-wide commitment to student success.
Achieving the Dream Leader Colleges
Leader Colleges are demonstrating the power of the Achieving the Dream Student-Centered Model of Institutional Improvement. They show us it is possible to raise persistence and graduation rates, close achievement gaps, and change lives. Leader Colleges embody the ultimate goal of Achieving the Dream, and as such, serve as mentors within our community of learners.
To be eligible for Leader College distinction, colleges must show three or more years of improvement on one or more of these five measures:
- Course completion
- Advancement from developmental to credit-bearing courses
- Completion of college-level math and English courses
- Term-to-term and year-to-year retention
- Completion of certificates or degrees
