Wayne County Community College District (MI)
Wayne County Community College District (WCCCD) expanded its Early Alert System in Spring 2011 to include all students in developmental English and mathematics courses and college-level learning community courses.
WCCCD’s Early Alert System uses high technology and personal contacts to encourage student persistence. Faculty members use the college’s database to alert Student Services about any student who has a grade below a C after the first four weeks of the semester.
Student Services personnel then provide intrusive outreach to the identified students and refer students to success resources and programs to help them achieve better grades. Outreach methods also include class questionnaires and telephone calls to encourage students to use support services to improve their grades.
- In Fall 2008, 591 students were in the Early Alert System
- In Fall 2010, 3,152 students or 15% of the total enrollment were in the system
- In Spring 2011, 8,353 students or nearly 20% of the college’s total enrollment were involved when the Early Alert System was scaled to include English 111, English 115, and MATH 105 on all five campuses
WCCCD’s five comprehensive campuses serve residents of 32 cities and townships in southeastern Michigan.
In Fall 2010, the college enrolled approximately 21,200 credit students and of these students, 69% were women, 57% were African American, and 1% was Hispanic. However, 22% of students reported their race as “unknown.” Sixty-four percent of students received Pell grants.
Achieving the Dream is a regular feature of the chancellor’s cabinet meetings and his immediate priority meetings, and the college-wide Professional Development day for faculty. Student Success strategies were also the topic of discussion for faculty led conferences on learning communities and integrated learning.
Some faculty have also received professional development by attending the “Designing and Building a Learning Community Program: the Kingsborough Model” to help WCCCD’s strive toward helping students succeed.
Based on the promising results with students in Learning Communities that link an English course with political science or psychology courses, WCCCD expanded Learning Communities of various course linkages to all five campuses.
Other systemic student success efforts include:
- Dreamkeepers, which helps students stay in college when faced with an unforeseen financial emergency. It provides students the resources and tools they need to help reach their educational goals.
- The Student Retention Center, which utilizes staff members from the Bursar’s Office, Financial Aid, and Student Services to serve the students district-wide.
- Integrating intrusive advising strategies such as our Early Alert System.
- The YMCA Education Coalition, a partnership of several universities and colleges including WCCCD, provides high school students with college readiness workshops.
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
