Dive Brief:
- Ohio’s Sinclair Community College has significantly higher completion rates than the national average and is improving faster than its peer institutions.
- Inside Higher Ed reports that the growth is thanks to Sinclair’s focus on completion and its methodical application of more than 100 new programs since 2000 in an attempt to see what works.
- One especially effective initiative is My Academic Plan (MAP), which pairs new students with advisers who create individualized plans that track progress toward graduation and make it twice as likely the student will earn a credential, according to the article.
Dive Insight:
Inside Higher Ed cites National Clearinghouse Research Center Data showing that just 39% of community college students who started their studies in 2008 had graduated by 2014. At Sinclair, completion rates from basically the same period reached 56%. Their success can provide lessons for other colleges, where completion is bound to become a key focus, if it isn’t one already. Half of all states allocate higher education dollars based at least partly on student performance, and the trend only seems to be moving farther in that direction. The Obama administration is interested in tying federal funding to performance measures, pivoting away from a system that paid out based on enrollment alone. Accountability is king.