For more than two decades, community colleges have transformed policies, programs, and practices to improve student success. Yet many of the forces shaping whether students enroll, persist, complete, and achieve economic mobility lie beyond the institution itself—in neighborhoods, workplaces, families, regional economies, and public systems.

This session draws from the forthcoming book, “Beyond the College Walls: Partnerships and the Future of Community College Reform.” Following a brief overview, three leaders will examine different ways community colleges are extending the boundaries of reform: changing what we measure, changing where we work, and changing how we partner. Karen Stout examines Achieving the Dream’s Community Vibrancy Framework and efforts to connect student outcomes with measures of community economic and social well-being. Gregory Haile shares how Broward UP identified poorly served communities and brought education and services directly to trusted community locations. Mary Alice McCarthy identifies the key characteristics of workforce development partnerships that increase students’ social mobility versus those that do not.

Together, the cases make a larger argument: The next generation of community college reform requires institutions to retain their focus on what happens inside the college while building the external partnerships and capacities needed to improve outcomes beyond it.