Community College Journal - April/May 2011

news & analysis ...

Innovation Challenge Gives
States a Stake in Completion

BY TABITHA WHISSEMORE

C
omplete College america’s (CCA’s) new grant program,
Completion Innovation Challenge, gives states the oppor-
tunity to influence the completion agenda. Ten $1 million
grants will be awarded to states with the most innova-
tive statewide strategies to substantially improve college
completion.

The grant, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, doesn’t limit states to simply exploring completion strategies. It also provides “jet fuel” so plans can be fully developed and deployed, said Tom Sugar, senior vice president at CCA.

Its focus: to improve college completion numbers through state policy changes.

“To really make a difference, it’s going to require a shared responsibility,” Sugar
said. “Students will have to do more, institutions will have to reinvent themselves,
but state leadership should become an equal partner.”
Taxpayers are the leading investors in higher education, he added, and they have
an interest in what’s being done to increase completion rates.

States competing for the grant must focus on one or two areas specified in the request for proposals: transforming remediation, shifting to performance funding, reducing time-to-degree, restructuring delivery for today’s students, and deploying transformative technology.

The proposals also must demonstrate “bold, high-quality, large-scale, and high-impact” strategies.

Some examples of what CCA expects from states are clear, comprehensive statewide transfer policies, promotion of student cohorts, an increase in dual-credit opportunities, and customized and modularized remediation programs.

“This program isn’t just about handing out dollars; this is about the real work of transforming education,” Sugar said. That means working with states to remove obstacles to college completion, such as broken transfer policies, excessive credit requirements, and failed remediation policies, among others.

The organization also wants to close “glaring holes” in metrics. CCA has developed a set of common completion metrics intended to inform policy decisions. These include reporting student transfer and job placement and earnings. The metrics also disaggregate data by the type of degree or credential a student is earning, as well as the age, race, and income of students. The National Governors Association has already adopted these metrics.

Since CCA began its work in 2009, 26 states have joined its Alliance of States, setting completion goals, developing action plans, and collecting and reporting common measures of progress.