In 2003, Lumina Foundation for Education launched a major initiative, Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count, to help more community college students succeed, particularly students of color and low-income students. To inform this effort, Lumina commissioned an audit of state policies on community college access, success, and accountability in the seven original participating states: Connecticut, Florida, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, and Virginia.
To secure information on what policies the states have and how well they are working, the authors of this article examined state policy documents and conducted interviews with state community college directors, legislators, gubernatorial advisors, local community college officials, and community organization representatives.
This article highlights their findings and offers recommendations for future state policy.
This article was published in the Community College Journal, vol. 77, issue 2.
