Community College Impact Initiative

Last year community colleges were awarded $500,000,000 from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) through the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grant Program (TAACCCTP). This year, the DOL will favor strategies that have strong or moderate research evidence of positive impact on students. A limited number of strategies meet DOL’s standard of strong or moderate evidence.  One of these strategies is proactive Student Coaching.  Last year Dr. Eric Bettinger of Stanford University published a study on the impact and cost-effectiveness of college student coaching and mentorship services with respect to improving retention and completion rates. His scientifically rigorous study of over 13,000 students at 8 separate sites over two years found that:

• Coached students retain at a 10 to 15 percent higher rate than non-coached students over a 24 month period.
• Cohorts for which graduation data was available show a 13 percent higher rate of completion.
• Coaching is a more cost-effective way to achieve retention gains when compared to previously studied interventions such as increased financial aid.