Long Beach, Calif. – More California community colleges have been selected as participants in the Spring 2022 cohort of the Institute for Evidence-Based Change (IEBC) Caring Campus partnership.
The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) recently expanded its partnership to implement Caring Campus in California with $977,980 in new funding. The funding supports the eventual addition of 30 new community colleges to the program. As a result, almost two-thirds of all California community colleges will become ‘Caring Campuses’ over the next two years.
The objective of IEBC’s Caring Campus program is to increase student retention and success in community colleges by creating and cultivating caring environments through the intentional inclusion of all staff in student success efforts.
Community colleges joining others both statewide and nationwide embracing Caring Campus this spring include:
- Bakersfield College
- Chabot College
- College of San Mateo College
- Compton College
- Las Positas College
- Folsom Lake College
- Los Angeles Trade-Tech College
- Los Angeles Valley College
- Los Angeles Southwest College
- Madera Community College
- San Jose City College
- West Los Angeles College
Under the CCCCO-IEBC partnership, colleges selected agree to fully participate in Caring Campus, a coaching-based approach ensuring all staff play a role in supporting every student’s academic success. The first group of 18 colleges was selected and began work in 2018. The second group of 18 colleges began in 2020 and others have joined the effort since then with 42 California colleges now involved.
“What we are learning, especially post-pandemic, is how important the human connection is,” said IEBC President/CEO Brad Phillips. “Caring Campus helps us view our work as relational instead of merely transactional. It supports faculty, staff, and administrators to better leverage their expertise in ways that help us better connect and support students to achieve their goals. Best of all, key data measurements show us this approach is successful based on multiple student success goals.”
“This additional investment which allows IEBC to involve more community colleges, will benefit tens of thousands of students now and for many years to come.”
Caring Campus implementation covers a semester of intensive work with IEBC coaches who meet with staff teams, returning approximately every three weeks. Research has documented students leaving college because they do not feel connected to the institution. Caring Campus recognizes and leverages the value of connectedness for increasing the likelihood that students will continue towards, and succeed in attaining, their educational goals.
Staff interaction with students can set the stage for successful enrollment, persistence, and completion. It is particularly important for students from historically underserved populations, students less familiar with college, non-majority students, students from low-income households, and first-generation students to feel welcome and that they belong in college.
About the Institute for Evidence-Based Change (IEBC)
The Institute for Evidence-Based Change is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization dedicated to helping education stakeholders – community colleges, universities, K-12 school systems employers, and others – use evidence-based data, collaboration, and coaching to make informed decisions and craft solutions that improve practice and dramatically increase student success through our innovative approach. Learn more about IEBC at www.iebcnow.org
About the California Community Colleges (CCCCO)
The California Community Colleges is the largest system of higher education in the nation, composed of 73 districts and 116 colleges serving 2.1 million students per year. California community colleges provide career education and workforce training; guaranteed transfer to four-year universities; degree and certificate pathways; and basic skills education in English and math. As the state’s engine for social and economic mobility, the California Community Colleges supports the Vision for Success, a strategic plan designed to improve student success outcomes, increase transfer rates and eliminate achievement gaps. For more information, please visit the California Community Colleges website.