For the Reporter
A new report is helping to inform educational improvement efforts in the region by examining local high school graduates on their journey through seven local community and technical colleges (CTCs).
The Road Map Project Community and Technical College Report sets a baseline and reveals low rates of credential completion, especially among students of color. The recently released report also spotlights important collaborative efforts under way between K-12 and college institutions to improve outcomes for students in the South Seattle and South King County region.
The Auburn and Kent school districts and Green River and Highline colleges participated in the report.
Of recent high school graduates enrolling in college, half attend one of the seven community and technical colleges included in the report. However, unlike familiar K-12 data points, such as test scores, college outcomes for these students have never before been presented in such detail. The report is unique in the way it follows the progress of a class of high school graduates who enroll full-time and part-time in CTCs.
“We welcome this first-of-a-kind research as another way to inform our college’s steadfast focus on providing higher education access to the incredibly diverse community we serve, with programs like our 13th Year Promise Scholarship,” said South Seattle College President Gary Oertli.
Key report findings include:
• Only one-third of recent high school graduates enrolling in our local CTCs complete a credential or transfer to a four-year college within three years
• Part-time students are half as likely to attain a credential or transfer out to four-year colleges than full-time students during the period studied
• Too many students are graduating from high school not prepared for college-level work
• Students of color are less likely to be college-ready and more likely to attend part-time, contributing to lower rates of graduation and transfer
“This exceptional report shows the importance of improving college readiness and performance at colleges and school districts in South Seattle and South King County. This type of analysis, which represents real partnership between the state, the Road Map Project and area post-secondary institutions and school districts, is precisely what we need in order to build an education system that focuses on student needs. I hope communities across the nation take note,” said Haley Glover, Strategy Director for Lumina Foundation, a leading philanthropic organization committed to increasing the proportion of Americans with high-quality degrees, certificates and other credentials to 60 percent by 2025.
The report highlights actions that can be undertaken by local institutions and the broader community to increase student success.
Read the entire report here.
