Northern Essex Community College
Northern Essex Community College (NECC) has shown that strong leadership is one of the most important factors influencing student success, and considers developing and increasing the distribution of informal leadership their greatest accomplishment with Achieving the Dream.
Results at NECC have been promising thus far; for example, the performance of students at the college who took Basic Algebra II, a developmental course, and then College Algebra or College Algebra & Trigonometry has jumped significantly since joining Achieving the Dream.
Results show:
- NECC’s Achieving the Dream cohortincreased their spring-to-spring completion of these courses from 49% in Spring 2007 to 65% in Spring 2010
Hispanic males are one of the college’s target populations and the main focus of a recently created Student/Faculty Inquiry Group and the results of the overall course completion rate for Hispanic males in the cohort taking these math courses show:
- An increase in course completion from 50% to 80% during the same time period.
The college has also implemented a Math Tutoring Center which establishes a college level math lab to provide tutoring, computerized assistance, instructional technology resources, study groups, workshops, and other instructional support services to students:
- In Fall 2010, 66% of students that used the tutoring center completed math classes with an A-C grade
NECC is a two-year, two-campus community college in northeastern Massachusetts. In Fall 2010, the college served 7,440 students. The student body has recently become increasingly racially and ethnically diverse, and enrollment of students of color is now approximately 40%.
The college’s strong integrative Developmental Education Program links foundation courses together to help students successfully complete required classes. NECC offers additional support to disadvantaged students to help them succeed, and works closely with the local population to ensure that the college offers programs that are valuable to the larger community. The school offers flexible course scheduling and allows students to complete degrees or certificates at a pace suitable for their busy lives.
Leadership is first and foremost in NECC’s Achieving the Dream plan. Informal leadership has been increased and formal leaders, such as the President and board members, are also passionately engaged in the process. NECC publicly shares all of its student success data, which contributed to a significant accomplishment this year: developing a ten-year accreditation report that was highly praised by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.
A core team of eight faculty and staff were assembled to radically redesign NECC’s College Success Skills (CSS) course into a more rigorous and effective student success and retention experience serving additional students. Results showed that students who took CSS had a developmental course completion rate that was ten percentage points higher than those who did not, and their fall-to-spring retention rate was fourteen percentage points higher.
The Academic Planning intervention using the DegreeWorks software in the advising area mobilized the institution as a whole to participate in contributing to college success.
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
