This discussion guide is designed to help community college faculty, staff, and administrators discuss ideas presented in More Essential Than Ever: Community College Pathways to Educational and Career Success and consider which might be helpful for improving student success at their institutions. This guide can serve as a starting point for cross-college conversations about how to better help students succeed and colleges and communities thrive.
Each section of this guide provides topics and questions for discussion based on the book’s chapters:
- The Introduction lays out the thesis of the book and introduces five reform “frontiers” for strengthening pathways to post-completion success for students.
- Chapter 1 outlines the progress early adopter colleges have made in enacting large-scale changes and discusses their effects on student progression.
- Chapters 2 through 6 provide lessons the authors learned about transforming college practice in five frontiers of reform: (1) ensuring the post-completion value of programs; (2) strengthening teaching and learning; (3) improving recruiting and student onboarding into a program of study; (4) revamping advising, scheduling, and supports to ensure students complete on schedule; and (5) building on-ramps to college and career pathways for students after high school.
- Chapter 7 offers lessons on rethinking college organization and finance to enable faculty and staff to work together in ways that more effectively lead to improved student learning and success.
- Chapter 8 considers the support and funding state systems can provide to help colleges undertake and sustain these reforms.
The guide can help colleges explore practical steps to strengthen student success and consider ways to sustain change over time.
Funding for this discussion guide was provided by Ascendium Education Group.