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Achieving the Dream (ATD) has announced its selection of seven community colleges to participate in the second cohort of its Accelerating Equitable Outcomes initiative.
Dr. Karen A. Stout“America’s rural communities are integral to our nation’s economic and fiscal well-being,” said ATD President and CEO Dr. Karen A. Stout. “Yet, they are frequently under-resourced and struggle to gain the attention of policymakers and investors.”
This year’s cohort of rural community colleges will focus on transforming students’ experiences and outcomes at rural-serving institutions. The 2024 Accelerating Equitable Outcomes cohort includes: Arkansas State University, Chippewa Valley Technical College (Wisconsin), Coconino Community College (Arizona), Eastern Shore Community College (Virginia), Isothermal Community College (North Carolina), Riverland Community College (Minnesota), and Wor-Wic Community College (Maryland).
The cohort joins the national higher education reform network of more than 300 community colleges nationwide. The ATD Network is expected to actively engage in the cohort as a community of practice, sharing strategies and learning as they seek to serve rural communities in innovative, evidence-based ways.
“This next iteration of the Accelerating Equitable Outcomes cohort will bring these seven colleges together with ATD coaches and subject matter experts in a three-year engagement to focus on deepening their analyses of data to better understand their students’ needs, increasing institutional capacity, deploying dynamic student supports for both inside and outside the classroom, and developing an action plan to continue and sustain their student success work,” said Stout.
Cohort colleges will join other colleges new to ATD at the ATD Kickoff Institute, an annual event to welcome incoming Network colleges, which will be held June 12-14 in New Orleans. The kickoff will set the stage for the colleges’ partnerships with ATD and introduce them to the organization’s Institutional Capacity Framework, a comprehensive assessment built on essential capacities that help colleges develop a student-centered culture and enhance student success.