West Los Angeles College
West Los Angeles College hopes that by participating in Achieving the Dream their coach and data coach will provide them with a fresh perspective on how to improve their students’ success rates. Their experience may also help college leaders engage with sensitive issues such as prioritizing efforts to improve student success and equity.
The college feels the need to broaden the base of support and involvement in college-wide planning and student success activities, and invite the participation of the newer faculty and staff. Being a part of the Achieving the Dream Network will provide plenty of occasions to stimulate renewed enthusiasm and focus on issues of student success and equity.
With Achieving the Dream, West will:
- Build the leadership for and commitment to a student success agenda
- Develop a culture of inquiry and evidence to inform decisions on programs and policies
- Engage a wide range of stakeholders, including faculty, students, and community members
- Identify problems, set priorities, and measure progress toward achieving student success
West Los Angeles College, located in Culver City, California, opened its doors in February 1969. One of the nine campuses of the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD), the college has approximately 10,000 students attending day, evening, and weekend classes. West serves Baldwin Hills, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Century City, Crenshaw, Culver City, La Tijera/Windsor Hills, Marina del Rey, Mar Vista, Pacific Palisades, Palms, Playa del Rey, Venice, Westchester, West Los Angeles, and Westwood areas and the students come from a rich mixture of nationalities and cultures. The college also offers associate degrees in 41 different subjects, 16 different Certificates of Completion, 25 different Skill Certificates, and 26 different Transfer Associate Degrees.
West has a unique student make-up and qualifies as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HIS) and as a Predominately Black Institution (PBI). Of the 11,000 students enrolled in the Fall 2010 semester, 33% of them were Hispanic and 40% were African American. The primary language spoken for 7% of the total student population was Spanish and 22% of students were older than age 35. Nearly half (46%) of students came to West Los Angeles placing into pre-college level math and almost 38% were at pre-college level English.
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.
