Achieving the Dream

Achieving the Dream, Inc. (atd) is the leading college network championing evidence-based institutional improvement to help community colleges improve outcomes for low-income students and students of color who Dream of Achieving their goals for academic success and economic opportunity. the atd network includes nearly 300 colleges in 45 states and the district of columbia. Colleges in the atd network have been able to demonstrate double-digit degree completion gains and substantially close equity gaps between subpopulations of students. Atd colleges routinely get selected for prestigious national awards like the aspen prize for community college excellence.a college will typically join the atd national network through a structured 3-year experience in which it is supported by coaches to examine institutional data, identify equity gaps, assess core institutional capacities and develop strategies to redesign policies, practices and structures so that all students have accessible, equitable and relevant academic and social experiences. Throughout this three-year foundations of transformation experience and beyond, atd supports colleges in building their capacity to conduct continuous improvement towards closing equity gaps. In fy23, atd brought thirteen new colleges into the network, including 5 of the 7 city colleges of chicago.with support from cognizant us foundation, jp morgan chase foundation and ascendium education group, atd has continued to support a cohort of rural colleges in their foundations of transformation experience to increase their capacity to provide students the skills needed for tomorrow's workforce and connect students with careers in the digital economy. Atd also continued its work, with support from ascendium education group, coaching 33 tribal college and universities. These institutions have demonstrated vast improvements in their ability to collect and use data effectively to close achievement gaps and the grant has enabled atd to create content and coaching processes that are culturally responsive. With support from an anonymous funder, atd has continued curating holistic student supports and teaching and learning high impact practices in the tribal community college and university setting.evidence-based institutional transformation requires colleges to evaluate data to identify equity gaps. Through a bill & melinda gates foundation postsecondary data partnership initiative, we are supporting dozens of atd network colleges' transition to the post-secondary data partnership, allowing schools to capture more precise data points and access data from one portal. To move atd's strategy forward, we embarked on an inaugural community vibrancy cohort with support from ascendium education group and the crimsonbridge foundation. the cohort engages 16 mature network colleges in pilot testing of resource materials and processes that will be modified and rolled out to the broader atd network. the intent is to help all colleges move from institutional transformation to community transformation. the project emphasizes a set of next generation metrics pertaining to access, early momentum, milestone momentum, mobility, and community vibrancy. Learning events throughout the year serve an important role in furthering the transformational work at the colleges. These events include our marquee network-wide convening, Dream, where more than 2200 community college leaders, practitioners, and funders gathered in person in chicago to work together and learn best practices and annual data & analytics summit, attended by more than 300 practitioners, focused on improving student success outcomes by building capacity and developing a culture of inquiry across the institution. At Dream, we recognize the accomplishments of institutions that have shown meaningful engagement with atd and growth in student outcomes through our leader college, leader college of distinction, and leah meyer austin award (recognizing four -year improvement in three-year college graduation rates or improvement in transfer out to bachelor's completion). Dream and other highly focused events allow atd to deepen its connection to network colleges, showcase effective practices, and draw in new colleges interested in engaging in institutional transformation.in addition to Dream and the data & analytics summit, atd hosted a virtual adult learner success summit that garnered more than 1000 registrants. Sponsored by the ecmc foundation, network colleges participated in this virtual convening free of charge. Atd's annual, year-long webinar series, opportunities for all, offered expert insights for atd network colleges as they continue their transformation journey.

Ii. Network programs our work in this area focuses on the ideation, design and incubation of programmatic supports for the colleges and partners we serve as well as strengthening atd's capacity to do this work. Atd moves the field forward by exploring ideas and developing solutions in response to new solutions and advocating for practices.colleges who have completed their first three years move to accelerate their transformation by selecting more tailored supports in subsequent years. Colleges can delve into holistic student supports, equity services, k12 partnership, or teaching and learning services, which come with more in-depth assessments, coaching and technical assistance. These innovations drive institutional transformation around equity, access, and mobility. Atd and the university of southern California, with funding from the kresge foundation and greater Texas foundation, continued their support the racial equity leadership academy, which supported a group of nine colleges through strategic racial equity change efforts beginning in 2022 and continuing through the spring of 2023.through an ongoing grant from the william and flora hewlett foundation, atd continued our oer work with the Tennessee board of regents aimed at removing financial roadblocks that can derail students' progress and spurring innovation in course design that will increase the likelihood of course completion. Atd also released a study funded by hewlett exploring how open educational resources can transform teaching and learning.with an increased focus on profoundly expanding access to college, atd is working to bolster enrollment of adult learners. the prioritizing adult community college enrollment initiative supports 20 community colleges across the national scale up promising efforts to reenroll adult learners in community colleges, with support from the lumina foundation for education. Atd's k12 partnership work stems from its 2019 merger with gateway to college national network. Last year, atd continued its support of our nearly 30 gateway to college programs with funding from the barr foundation. These programs reengage off track and out of school youth in college-based reengagement programs, with most students graduating and continuing on in postsecondary education.last year, atd continued its work with a cohort of four communities in building school to college to career pathways, with support from the carnegie corporation of new york, launching a new cohort in 2023. By bringing together high school educators, community colleges faculty, workforce development professionals, and employers, this initiative aims to close gaps in local educational pipelines that prevent economically marginalized young people from Achieving economic mobility. Finally, over the last year, atd continued its work as a partner in the every learner everywhere (ele) network, with support from the bill & melinda gates foundation. Through ele, atd and its partners build the capacity of colleges to improve student outcomes with digital learning through direct technical assistance, timely resources and toolkits, and ongoing analysis of institutional practices.