DREAM 2024

Community colleges serve as an important educational entry point for Multilingual Learners (MLs) (Huerta et al., 2019; Teranishi & Suárez-Orozco, 2011), but research indicates that barriers disproportionately impact and impede these students’ success. MLs enrolled in ESL courses do not accumulate as many credits as their peers in developmental courses (Hodara, 2015) nor do they persist through their programs at proportionate levels (Raufman, Brathwaite, & Kamakarian, 2019). In this session, the Community College Research Center (CCRC) will discuss findings from an IES-funded, three-year, mixed-methods study exploring policies and practices impacting the trajectories of MLs at one large urban community college district. Faculty from North Shore Community College and Truman College will highlight innovative approaches they are using to support ML students in credit programming, including dual language pathways and a transitional bilingual learning community.

Presenters

Christian Bednar, Dean of Liberal Studies, North Shore Community College

Julia Raufman, Research Associate, CCRC

English Learners in Community Colleges