Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count

Open access to higher education is a vital role of community colleges. Research shows that low income students and students of color are retained and attain degrees and certificates at significantly lower rates than white and Asian students. This achievement gap is a considerable challenge statewide and nationally.

“Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count” is a multi-year initiative funded by the Lumina Foundation for Education that addresses this challenge. All colleges of the Alamo Community College District are participating in this initiative to increase the success of low income students and students of color. The identified student outcome indicators are the following

1. Successful completion of remedial courses and progression to college-level courses.
2. Enrollment and successful completion of college-level “gatekeeper” courses.
3. Productive grades (C or higher) in all courses.
4. Semester to semester persistence.
5. Graduation.