Achieving the Dream

Achieving the Dream is a national initiative that seeks to help more community college students succeed — particularly those facing the greatest obstacles to college, including low-income students and students of color.

In partnership with Achieving the Dream, KnowledgeWorks Foundation introduced five Ohio community colleges to the initiative orginated by the Lumina Foundation for Education.

Achieving the Dream assists community colleges by:

• Supporting colleges as they identify barriers to graduation. Achieving the Dream helps colleges collect and analyze student data to understand why students drop out. Colleges also adopt strategies to improve student services and concentrate on identifying and closing achievement gaps.
• Advocating for state and federal policy alternatives. The initiative supports public policies that have been successful in other states, such as financial aid policies that help low-income students who attend community colleges.
• Building community support. Community support can help students succeed at all levels through such efforts as internships or job placement. Local businesses can support their own workforce by partnering with community colleges for training.
• Building knowledge of best practices. Many community colleges have developed successful practices and many states have adopted policies that have improved outcomes for students, but those practices and policies have not been well-documented. Achieving the Dream is developing national databases that document student performance, set benchmarks for college performance, and record outcomes over time.

Ohio campuses

Community colleges participating in Achieving the Dream in Ohio are:

Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland

Jefferson Community College, Steubenville

North Central State College, Mansfield

Sinclair Community College, Dayton

Zane State College, Zanesville