The CCA Blog

Jobs for the Future released a very helpful rundown of policy strategies for states and systems that seek to develop clearer and more structured academic pathways into programs of study and to high value degrees.  The brief, entitled Cornerstones for Completion: State Policy Support For Accelerated, Structured Pathways to College Credentials and Transfer, provides a list of 10 policy recommendations on how colleges, particularly community colleges, can develop a comprehensive policy framework to support completion. The brief recognizes that there are no silver bullets when it comes to improving college completion, but the need for institutions to implement aligned strategies that work in concert and are data driven. Most interesting are recommendations to create more structured academic pathways for students and to make sophisticated investments in student advising and support services. CCA supports similar efforts as a means to decrease time to degree and improve student completion rates. There is a growing consensus around strategies that more effectively guide students into programs of study by creating advising systems that put students on a default academic path and then provide support to students if they veer off course.   Stay tuned for new products around how states and systems can create clearer and more structured pathways through academic programs. C O L L E G E C R E D E N T I A L S A N D T R A N S F E R