Establish a focus on high-quality student supports
Student supports are a critical component of increasing persistence and completions among under-represented, non-traditional, low-income and minority populations. Research by MDRC, Lumina Foundation, and others clearly demonstrates that support services are critical to retention and credential attainment, especially for low-income, minority, and working adult students. Drawing on this research, Women Employed, through ...more »
Student supports are a critical component of increasing persistence and completions among under-represented, non-traditional, low-income and minority populations. Research by MDRC, Lumina Foundation, and others clearly demonstrates that support services are critical to retention and credential attainment, especially for low-income, minority, and working adult students. Drawing on this research, Women Employed, through our Clear Connections Project, has created a consortium of Illinois community colleges and community-based organizations to develop innovations and spread best practices for improving student supports. We partner with colleges to determine how students learn about available supports, assess the level of customer service, and improve the quality of student services. In Building Illinois’ Workforce of the Future, we identify barriers to college completion that can be addressed with student supports and recommend changes colleges, state agencies, and policymakers can implement to increase course completion and degree attainment.
We hope the forum will highlight the importance of effective student supports and how innovations can lead to better services and greater efficiencies. The scope of this discussion could include innovations in areas such as academic advising, financial aid administration, tutoring, child care, career development, and job placement, as well as “customer services” such as effective and efficient registration processes, the quality of course catalogs, etc. Poor practices in these areas can cause particular problems for working adult students. We would like to urge a strong focus on career development services, which can be offered in a variety of forms. Our research for the development of an on-line career development program for adults (Career Coach), and the research of others in the field, indicates that many low-income adults have very limited knowledge of the labor market. Without guidance based on knowledge of their interests and goals in the context of employment demand—and good information linking career goals to course choices—too many students start down the wrong path, wasting financial aid and time, and lessening their chances of obtaining credentials.
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