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Achieving the Dream is unique among higher education initiatives for several reasons:
- It is a national, multi-year initiative: Over the next decade, all participating institutions will be working to achieve the same intended student and institutional outcomes.
- It is grounded in principles and values: The initiative is grounded in the following principles and values about how to promote student success and bring about effective institutional change.
- It provides significant structure and support: Funding is provided for the planning as well as the implementation phase of the grant. In addition to a number of other resources, each participating college is provided with a Coach and a Data Facilitator to help diagnose problems and formulate appropriate strategies to address them.
- It focuses on long-term, systemic change driven by evidence: Participating institutions are expected to develop a culture that values evidence and inquiry, and to make significant and continuing changes in policies, budgetary and organizational structures, programs and services to improve student outcomes. They are also expected to contribute unit level data to a national database that is being developed to inform policy makers on issues relevant to community colleges.
- It has multiple components: While participating colleges are working to effect change at the student and institutional level, partnering organizations are working to effect change in public policy, public engagement, and the knowledge base in support of community colleges.
As a participating institution, Seattle Central is responsible for meeting the intended outcomes for students and colleges:
Students
Achieving the Dream colleges will maintain students' access while working to increase the percentage of students – especially low-income students and students of color – who accomplish the following:
- Successfully complete the courses they take, with a grade of C or higher,
- Advance from remedial to credit-bearing courses,
- Enroll in and successfully complete gatekeeper courses,
- Re-enroll from one academic term to the next,
- Earn degrees and/or certificates.
Colleges
Colleges will exhibit a deep commitment to pursuing student success. Institutions will regularly involve a broad range of faculty, staff and administrators in assessing the institution's strengths and weaknesses, diagnosing problems and developing strategies to improve student outcomes.
Two types of grants are available through Achieving the Dream:
Investment grant: Essentially a planning grant, this one-year, $50,000 grant supports the selected colleges as they form teams, collect and review their institutional and student data, develop action plans, and prepare a multi-year implementation proposal. To carry out the work of the investment grant, Seattle Central formed a Core Team and a Data Team.
Implementation grant: Colleges who submit successful implementation proposals will receive up to $400,000 over four years to carry out the work proposed therein.