Jobs or the FutureCommission n the Future ofHigher Education. April 2006page 2
Achieving the Dream s an exciting newpostsecondary ducation eform nitiative,involving 35 communitycolleges n 7 states CT, FL, NC, NM, OR, TX, VA). 'The ocusis on using he analysisof outcomedata o develop nstitution-widereform strategieso
improve student uccess, articularly or first-generation,ow-income,and students fcolor. In this initiative, JFF's role is to organizestatepolicy activities and support or theinstitutional changeagendas f participatingcollegesand o supportstatepolicy changes
that promote communitycollege student uccess.Both nitiatives provide mportant nsights nto how the relationshipbetween igh schooland postsecondarynstitutions might be mprovedso that more studentsmove easilyand
quickly into collegeand credentialprograms hat they will complete. will elaborateon
someof these essons nd their mplications or the Commission'sdeliberations.Why Articulation Matters to College Performance
If you Google articulation, most of the references are to diction and speechpatterns.Educators are likely to describe articulation accurately. As one college web site explains,it's "a process which enables students o make a smooth transition.. .without delay,duplication of co~es, or loss of semestercredits." Articulation refers to negotiatedagreementsbetween nstitutions: "We have articulated courses or programs with 40different high schools and six different four-year institutions," a two-year college mightboast. Too often, though, those agreementssimply sit in files, publicized to few, anddriving little change n behavior of individuals or institutions.Articulation is really part of a broader and critically important concern: the relationshipbetween high schools and post-secondary nstitutions (or between different levels withinhigher education). The mis-alignment of institutional expectations, standards, curriculaand outcomes from K-12 to higher education s the reason articulation agreementsarenow needed.More important, this mis-alignment is at the heart of the poor performanceof many studentswho enter higher education and of many higher education nstitutions.Minimizing it must be at the core of any effort to improve student success,effic,iency,and productivity in higher education.
In his testimony o the Commissionn December,Mike Cohenof Achieve, nc.
summarizedhe extent o which the disconnects etweensecondary ndpostsecondary
education oseproblems or higher education.Only 34% of ninth gradersgraduate rom high school college ready"--havingNearly 30% of first year collegestudentsmust ake at eastone remedialcourse;
in communitycolleges, he averages over40%; n urbanand ural colleges, t
canbe well over 80%.taken he courses ypically required or admissiono nonselectiveour-yearcolleges
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