Prospective Colleges

Proposals for 2012 Cohort
**The deadline for applying for the 2012 cohort has passed**  
Check back for the 2013 RFP later this year  

Each year Achieving the Dream brings in 20-30 new colleges. Community colleges that join Achieving the Dream and follow the institutional improvement process for student success can expect tangible benefits for their commitment and hard work, including:

• Evidence-Based Institutional Improvement

Achieving the Dream's Five-Step Process for Increasing Student Success can help colleges transform their cultures into ones that effectively use data and other evidence to make decisions and to evaluate effectiveness. Leaders become adept at using data to communicate with key internal and external stakeholders about the college’s performance and to mobilize faculty, staff, and other stakeholders to collaborate on improving student outcomes.

• More Effective Use of Resources

Achieving the Dream enables colleges to invest limited resources in ways that pay off in improved student success.

• Accreditation and Fulfillment of State Performance Standards

As an evidence-based organization, Achieving the Dream provides a means of demonstrating to regional accrediting bodies that their expectations around student outcomes are being met. In addition, Achieving the Dream helps colleges meet state accountability standards.

• Expert Coaching

Achieving the Dream Institutions receive expert help from a Coach and a Data Coach. Coaches are typically former community college presidents or others with deep experience in institutional leadership and transformation. Data Coach have working knowledge on using data and institutional research to identify areas of weakness and opportunities for improvement, and to guide changes in policy and practice that lead to better outcomes for students. Coaches and Data Coaches are valuable resources and are often asked to help communicate with key constituents about the importance of student success and the relevance of student outcome data in planning change strategies.

• Learning Community

Achieving the Dream Institutions participate in a national network of community colleges. This network meets annually to share effective practices and implementation strategies. Colleges also link up electronically and through in-person meetings. They benefit from connections with other institutions tackling similar challenges, through contacts they make on their own in the Achieving the Dream network and referrals from their Coaches and Data Coaches.

• Benchmarking with Similar Institutions

Achieving the Dream Institutions provide student cohort data to a central database and have access to the Achieving the Dream website, where they can compare their data on student progression and outcomes with data from peer colleges using innovative tools developed by Achieving the Dream.

• In-Depth Guidance

The Achieving the Dream website contains a wealth of relevant research by Achieving the Dream partners and how-to resources for use by colleges seeking to build a culture of evidence to improve student success.

Achieving the Dream fully recognizes that community colleges are facing some of the hardest economic times in decades. We encourage you to invest in student success and equity now to maximize your return on investment. Longitudinal and institution-based research have found that colleges that adhere to the Achieving the Dream Student-Centered Model of Institutional Improvement are better able to maximize institutional resources and create a campus-wide culture that fosters student success. Many Achieving the Dream Institutions have experienced a return on investment from sharpening and targeting current services and restructuring departments and services to maximize efficiency. Also, keep in mind that significant improvement in student outcomes is not likely to be achieved in three years. Colleges should be prepared to continue their Achieving the Dream work over the long term and to secure sufficient resources to scale and sustain successful innovations. Achieving the Dream encourages colleges to reach out to regional investors and local community foundations for support. Our staff is here to assist you, so if you have any questions about Achieving the Dream, please contact us.