Upcoming Presentations

2024 AERA Annual Meeting

April 11–14, 2024
Philadelphia, PA

Pandemic Recovery Efforts in Practice: Community Colleges’ Use of Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds

April 14, 1:15–2:45 PM
Philadelphia Convention Center

This symposium session presents a comprehensive review of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on community colleges and their subsequent recovery efforts. Presenters will shed light on specific recovery efforts including the use of Higher Education Emergency Relief (HEER) Funds at community colleges, responses to sweeping declines in community college enrollment, and impacts on economic opportunities and transfer pathways that community college students rely on to more affordably obtain bachelor's degrees. Through an interactive panel discussion, participants will have the opportunity to engage in discussion about pandemic recovery efforts and needs, leaving with valuable insights into ways to address racial/ethnic disparities at community colleges and steps to guide policymakers and practitioners in crafting effective strategies for equitable student success.

Presenters

Tia Monahan, Senior Research Assistant and PEAR Fellow, CCRC

Hollie Daniels Sarica, Research Associate, CCRC

Understanding the Support Networks of First-Generation College Students

April 12, 11:25–12:55 PM

First-generation college students comprise more than one-third of undergraduates in the US but succeed at lower rates compared with their peers. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, we found that the first-generation identity is not a monolith and that these students have a variety of relationships and knowledge that moderate their campus experience. The presenters will aim to provide insight into first-generation college student identities and suggest how colleges can improve supports for first-generation students and better direct limited resources.

Presenters

Melissa Herman, Senior Research Assistant and PEAR Fellow, CCRC

The Mathematics of Opportunity: Closing the Divide

Research on Math as a Barrier and Opportunity for Transfer

April 17, 11:00 AM PST

It is imperative that all students have the math experiences that position them to pursue college degrees without the racial and socioeconomic roadblocks that have limited student success for generations. It is past time to close the divide.

Just Equations’ sixth annual Mathematics of Opportunity conference—a free, virtual event—will explore the future of equity in mathematics education and showcase the voices of education leaders, policymakers, and equity experts working to elevate math opportunities for the next generation.

This session will feature a discussion on the research and policies on the links between community college students’ math coursetaking and their opportunities to transfer to four-year universities.

Presenters

Dave Kung, Director of Math Advocacy and Strategy, Charles A. Dana Center

Tatiana Velasco, Research Associate, CCRC

Shanna Smith Jaggars, Assistant Vice Provost for Student Success Research Lab, The Ohio State University; Research Affiliate, CCRC

Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Research Fellow, Public Policy Institute of California

2024 CSCC Annual Conference

April 18–20, 2024
Pittsburgh, PA

Developing Self-Directed Learning Skills in the Online Classroom: Importance and Strategies

April 19, 8:00–9:15 AM

Self-directed learning (SDL) skills and mindsets like self-efficacy, help seeking, and goal-setting are considered malleable factors for learning. Drawing on survey data and faculty interviews, we present evidence about their predictive validity with academic outcomes and strategies for promoting the development of these skills in online courses in community colleges.

Presenters

Jorge Mahecha, Research Associate, CCRC

Ellen Wasserman, Research Associate, CCRC

Access to Success: Insights and Strategies in Implementing Multiple Measures Assessment

April 20, 12:30–1:45 PM

CAPR, with support from Ascendium Education Group, are assisting colleges and states nationwide in the adoption and implementation of MMA practices that place more students, and allow more students to be successful, in college-level courses. This presentation summarizes insights derived from this work, focusing on the adoption of multiple measures assessment in open-access colleges in Arkansas and Texas. During the presentation, researchers will present cost analysis findings, explore supporting factors for implementation, and delve into specific strategies used by colleges to tackle common implementation challenges.

Presenters

Elizabeth Kopko, Senior Research Associate, CCRC

Dan Cullinan, Senior Associate, MDRC

Discussion of the Implications of Career Pathways Findings for Practice and Research

May 01, 2019
Washington, DC

Career pathways approaches combine support services with articulated education and training steps between occupations to enable individuals to enter and exit training within a pathway at various levels and to advance over time to higher skills, recognized credentials, and better jobs with higher pay. Recent years have witnessed a rapid growth of both career pathways program development and the body of research examining the effectiveness of the approach. This creates an urgent need to incorporate this new evidence into policy and practice and to focus future research on unanswered questions identified through these studies.

This forum brought together researchers, government, practitioners, and the policy community to examine the state of knowledge, priorities for future research, and implications for policy and practice. Speakers discussed what have we learned about career pathways strategies for improving economic outcomes for low-income Americans, what makes career pathways programs more or less effective, and what the implications are for public policy and practice.

Participants

Karin Martinson
Principal Associate, Social and Economic Policy
Abt Associates
Robin E. Fernkas
Director, Division of Strategic Investments, Employment, and Training Administration
U.S. Department of Labor
Mark Fucello
Director, Division of Economic Independence
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Director
Community College Research Center
Brian Stewart
Academic Dean
Pima Community College