Institutionalizing Collaborations with College Partners
The NCTN Promising Practice Series presents detailed descriptions
of strategies from the field that are designed to promote the
successful transition of students from ABE/ESOL to postsecondary
education.
Contributed by
Brenda Dann-Messier, Executive Director
Dorcas Place Adult & Family Learning Center
Providence, RI
http://www.dorcasplace.org
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Rationale and Background of the Practice
Why did you institute the practice?
When I assumed my position as Executive Director
here at Dorcas Place there was little focus on helping students
enter college; the GED was the end goal. I worked in TRIO programs
and knew how important postsecondary education was for our students’ future.
When we surveyed our students in 2000, only half of the 100 students
enrolled at that time said they intended to continue their studies
after passing the GED test. I wanted to raise our students’ aspirations
and help them realize that they, too, could go to college. When
we decided we wanted to go forward with a college preparatory
program we wanted to make sure we had a commitment from the college
where most of our students would attend, the Community College
of Rhode Island (CCRI). We tried to achieve that by creating
a Memoranda of Agreement (MOA) with our collaborating college.
See sample MOU on NCTN Web site at http://www.collegetransition.org/policy/institutepolicy.html
All our students are adults with low incomes and 99% are the first
generation of their family bound for college. . They don’t
know how to maneuver the college system and don’t have
family members who can help them with that process. I wanted
to ensure that our students had the support services they needed
at the college. It was important for them to have a sense of
belonging. It’s a difficult transition for most of them.
The MOA helped to ensure that support.
What information or research did you draw on in choosing
this practice?
We drew on Vincent Tinto’s research on conditions that
support college student retention. His framework for student
retention calls for collaborative efforts between faculty, staff
and administrators. Tinto stressed that “students persist
when they find themselves in settings that hold high expectations
for their learning, are provided academic and social support
and are actively involved in learning” (Tinto, 2003). Tinto
is a strong advocate of building learning communities.
When and how did the practice begin? How has it evolved?
In 2000, we secured a grant from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation
and subsequently a private anonymous donation that enabled
us to establish the Bridge to College transition program.
We decided to spend part of our grant money on staff salaries,
mentor stipends, and tuition for a course at CCRI for 8-12
students per semester and project staff. We encourage our
students to start off by taking just one course and since
students are unable to get federal financial aid as less
than half-time students we choose to direct program funds
toward tuition costs.
Following Tinto’s research, we wanted our students to take
the course as a group in order for them to create their own learning
community. At that time, all students took the same three-credit
course, Psychology of Personal Adjustment. The whole class consisted
of students from Dorcas Place. Now we purchase seats for a cohort
of a minimum of five students in three different courses in response
to student requests for more choices in course offerings. Some
students were also saying that they felt isolated from other
college students and wanted to take courses with them. This arrangement
is now in effect for our daytime students. The evening class
still consists of a cohort of only Dorcas Place students, anywhere
between 8-15 students per semester.
Description of the Practice
How do you implement the practice?
I wanted to make sure we had a solid commitment from the Community
College of Rhode Island (CCRI) so I started at the top and
approached the president of the college. I got the president
to sign the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), and made a big
deal of it. We organized a formal signing ceremony at the
college, brought our students over, took pictures and sent
them to the president with a thank you letter. I did not
want him to forget about our students.
We have continued to involve the president at every opportunity.
It’s important to nurture this relationship continuously.
I always invite him and other key staff from the college to our
graduations and ask him to speak at them. By now, all key people
at CCRI know that the president of the college supports our collaboration.
When our staff calls up Admissions or Student Services, the CCRI
staff responds to us. We also build our own relationships with
the faculty at the college. We introduce ourselves and, with
our students’ permission, explain that some of their students
have transitioned from Dorcas Place. These relationships enable
us to advocate for our students more effectively.
While we do pay for the students’ first course as well as
their books and some other materials, we wanted to guarantee
that our students could enroll in the federally funded TRIO support
services program to receive counseling, tutoring, mentoring to
ensure student retention. We also secure workshops on library
services, resume writing, etc. for our students. Our doors at
Dorcas Place are also always open for students who have transferred
to college. Many come back to use our computer lab. Sometimes
they have a good relationship with our case manager here and
want to maintain that relationship.
Originally, the MOA was to secure services for our students but
it has become much more than that. We now use it as a mechanism
for faculty and course selection. I meet with the Dean of Academic
Affairs to consider what courses we might want to offer next
semester. While the MOA specifies that a ll courses will be taught
by faculty selected by the college, w e look for faculty who
can work with nontraditional adult learners. We’ve even
used the MOA to express our dissatisfaction with faculty who
were holding our students to lower standards than other students.
It’s a disservice to our students if the professors have
lower expectations of them, for example, accepting papers that
are not typed or are turned in late. Our MOA states that the
faculty resumes, course syllabi, and other relevant materials
are available to Dorcas Place staff once classes begin. That
allows us to align our preparatory classes at Dorcas Place with
the college classes the students will be taking.
As a byproduct of the relationship we’ve built with the
college, they’ve been helping us to track our students
even though it’s not specified in the MOA. Another new
development is that we are just starting to negotiate an MOA
with a private university, Johnson & Wales. They have many
training programs that our students are looking for.
What steps would a program or practitioner need to
follow to replicate the practice?
Make sure you develop a relationship with key people in Admissions,
Academic Affairs, Financial Aid and the President’s Office.
Those relationships require constant nurturing. For example,
we hold a luncheon for them at the college a few times a year
where they meet our students who are attending classes at the
college.
Having a grant to buy seats in a course gives us bargaining power.
I’ve found that many private funders are interested in
supporting college transition programs. It costs us $10,000 for
30 students to take one class per semester. Our grant funds also
pay for the books and materials, like calculators. Sometimes
we get donations of refurbished computers from businesses that
we give to our college students. Those are fairly easy to secure
and make a big difference for the students.
Challenges
What challenges has the program encountered in implementing
this practice?
Most postsecondary institutions still have a long way to go to
accommodate our students’ needs in terms of scheduling,
transportation, and access to financial aid--regardless of immigration
status. Many of our students are not transitioning to college
after the first class due to family and work obligations. We
still need to figure out how to support low-income adults who
have multiple barriers to college participation. I worry that
colleges with diminishing budgets and competing needs won’t
provide for our students because they need intensive support
services at every transition point.
Evidence of Impact and Effectiveness
What have been the advantages and outcomes of this
practice?
Do you have actual evidence of its effectiveness?
In fall 2004 we transitioned 22 students to college of whom 60%
completed the first course. This high rate of success indicates
to us we know what works in helping students transition to college
and complete the course.
When I first signed the MOA, the president of CCRI told me to
call him when our first student was getting ready to graduate
so that I could stand on the stage to hand out the diploma. In
2003, I took him up on his offer and handed diplomas to two of
our students as they walked across the stage. This president
would not have extended this offer to me had we not built a relationship
with him and his college over the years and knew we had a credible
program.
NCTN Promising Practice Series
Volume 2 Issue 1
January/February 2005
Tinto, V., (2003). “Establishing conditions for student
success,” in L. Thomas, M. Cooper & J. Quinn, (Eds.), Improving
Completion Rates among Disadvantaged Students. Sterling,
NY: Trentham Books.
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