Capital Community College
The Black and Latino Men’s Initiative at Capital Community College aided in increasing retention among both groups of students who began college with placements in developmental courses.
The collective efforts of several deans and other Capital personnel to combine student and academic services helped improve retention of black and Latino men in developmental courses.
- The fall-to-fall retention rate of black men in developmental courses increased from 28% in Fall 2006 to 50% in Fall 2010
- The fall-to-fall retention rate of Latino men in developmental courses increased from 23% in Fall 2006 to 40% in Fall 2010
The Black and Latino Men Initiative includes an annual student-run conference and a resource center.
The college’s renovation of an empty landmark department store a decade ago for its new campus was critical to downtown Hartford’s revitalization. Partnerships between the college and downtown businesses, as well as cultural and historical institutions, continue to enrich students’ educational experiences.
In Fall 2009, Capital Community College had 4,280 students, and of those students 72% were female, 33% were black, 28% Latino, 19% white, 3% Asian, and 46% received Pell grants.
Capital considers itself a multicultural community of learners and has one of the most ethnically diverse student populations in New England. Seventy percent of the students served by its developmental education initiatives are ethnic minorities.
Achieving the Dream and all other initiatives at Capital Community College are driven by the same measureable outcomes in the strategic plan.
The college is scaling its First-Year Experience Program and Enhanced Academic Advising for all students in 2011-12. A Math Software Intervention and English as a Second Language Intervention have already been scaled in developmental courses.
It will continue Mathematics Improvements as a test site for the Carnegie Foundation’s Statway curriculum.
It is extending Learning Communities by partnering with the Hartford Heritage Project.
Capital plans to start an Accelerated Developmental Reading and Writing Course and a Self-Paced, Pre-Algebra Course.
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
