Meeting Students Where They Are

Title: Innovative Strategies to Close Postsecondary Attainment Gaps

Authors: Leanne Davis, Kimberly Watts, and Julie Ajinkya

Source: The Institute for Higher Education Policy

A new report from the Institute of Higher Education Policy proposes several strategies to address issues of college access and success for students in rural communities. The report highlights four of the Lumina Foundation’s designated “Talent Hub” communities, located in California, Indiana (2), and Texas. The three strategies propose (1) first understanding existing postsecondary barriers, then (2) designing programs that have flexibility to meet students where they are, and finally (3) developing relationships with community partners in various sectors who are able to contribute to the students’ needs and development first.

Included in the report are the diverse set of issues the four Talent Hubs face, ranging from working with struggling high school students and more than one-third of adults in the community having some college experience but not holding a credential, to contending with the challenges posed by an increasingly automated manufacturing workforce. Despite these challenges, the Talent Hubs have implemented programs to address community-specific needs, including adult-learner-centered online postsecondary credential programs; apprenticeship programs that provide postsecondary credit; and developing crosswalk tools to help advisers and coaches who work directly with students understand the training and postsecondary education needed to enter high-need community-based jobs.

To read the full report, please visit the Institute for Higher Education Policy’s website here.

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-Charles Sanchez