ACHIEVING THE DREAM INC
8484 GEORGIA AVENUE NO 500, SILVER SPRING, MD 20910 www.achievingthedream.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: TO LEAD AND SUPPORT A NATIONAL NETWORK OF COMMUNITY COLLEGES TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABLE INSTITUTIONAL TRANSFORMATION THROUGH SHARING KNOWLEDGE, INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS AND EFFECTIVE PRACTICES AND POLICIES LEADING TO IMPROVED OUTCOMES FOR ALL STUDENTS.

LEAD A NETWORK OF COMMUNITY COLLEGES TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABLE INSTITUTIONAL TRANSFORMATION.

NETWORK ENGAGEMENTS:ACHIEVING THE DREAM, INC. (ATD) IS THE LEADING COLLEGE NETWORK CHAMPIONING EVIDENCE-BASED INSTITUTIONAL IMPROVEMENT TO HELP COMMUNITY COLLEGES IMPROVE OUTCOMES FOR LOW-INCOME STUDENTS AND STUDENTS OF COLOR WHO DREAM OF ACHIEVING THEIR GOALS FOR ACADEMIC SUCCESS AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY. THE ATD NETWORK INCLUDES OVER 270 COLLEGES IN 44 STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. COLLEGES IN THE ATD NETWORK HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE DOUBLE-DIGIT DEGREE COMPLETION GAINS AND SUBSTANTIALLY CLOSE EQUITY GAPS BETWEEN SUBPOPULATIONS OF STUDENTS FULFILLING THE ATD MISSION. ATD COLLEGES ROUTINELY GET SELECTED FOR PRESTIGIOUS NATIONAL AWARDS LIKE THE ASPEN PRIZE FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGE EXCELLENCE.A COLLEGE WILL TYPICALLY JOIN THE ATD NATIONAL NETWORK THROUGH A STRUCTURED 3-YEAR EXPERIENCE IN WHICH IT IS SUPPORTED BY COACHES TO EXAMINE INSTITUTIONAL DATA, IDENTIFY EQUITY GAPS, ASSESS CORE INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITIES AND DEVELOP STRATEGIES TO REDESIGN POLICIES, PRACTICES AND STRUCTURES SO THAT ALL STUDENTS HAVE ACCESSIBLE, EQUITABLE AND RELEVANT ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL EXPERIENCES. THE WOODWARD HINES EDUCATION FOUNDATION CONTINUED ITS SUPPORT TO FUND THE NETWORK FEES TWO MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ACHIEVING THE DREAM 3-YEAR TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE NETWORK EXPERIENCE. THROUGHOUT THE THREE-YEAR EXPERIENCE AND BEYOND, ATD SUPPORTS COLLEGES IN BUILDING THEIR CAPACITY TO CONDUCT CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT TOWARDS CLOSING EQUITY GAPS. AS PART OF THE NETWORK, COLLEGES ACQUIRE CAPACITY TO MAKE EQUITY-FOCUSED DECISIONS INFORMED BY DISAGGREGATED DATA AND STUDENT PROGRESS MONITORING; ESTABLISH A CAMPUS-WIDE COMMITMENT TO EQUITY AND TO CLOSING EQUITY GAPS; BUILD A CULTURE OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT SO THEY CAN ITERATIVELY EVALUATE AND IMPLEMENT APPROPRIATE REFORMS ALIGNED TO THEIR TRANSFORMATION GOALS; LEARN ABOUT STRATEGIES FROM PEERS AND PARTNERS ON THE LEADING EDGE OF REFORM; TEST AND REFINE BOLD NEW APPROACHES; AND MAKE PROGRESS TOWARD COMPLETION GOALS THAT LEAD TO RECOGNITION AND PARTICIPATION IN NEW INITIATIVES. EVIDENCE-BASED INSTITUTIONAL TRANSFORMATION REQUIRES COLLEGES TO EVALUATE DATA TO IDENTIFY EQUITY GAPS. THROUGH A BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION POSTSECONDARY DATA PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE, WE ARE SUPPORTING DOZENS OF ATD NETWORK COLLEGES' TRANSITION TO THE POST-SECONDARY DATA PARTNERSHIP, ALLOWING SCHOOLS TO CAPTURE MORE PRECISE DATA POINTS AND ACCESS DATA FROM ONE PORTAL.LEARNING EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR SERVE AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN FURTHERING THE TRANSFORMATIONAL WORK AT THE COLLEGES. THESE EVENTS INCLUDE OUR MARQUEE NETWORK-WIDE CONVENING, DREAM, WHERE MORE THAN 2,000 COMMUNITY COLLEGE LEADERS, PRACTITIONERS, AND FUNDERS GATHERED TO WORK TOGETHER AND LEARN BEST PRACTICES AND ANNUAL DATA & ANALYTICS SUMMIT, ATTENDED BY MORE THAN 300 PRACTITIONERS, FOCUSED ON IMPROVING STUDENT SUCCESS OUTCOMES BY BUILDING CAPACITY AND DEVELOPING A CULTURE OF INQUIRY ACROSS THE INSTITUTION. AT DREAM, WE RECOGNIZE THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF INSTITUTIONS THAT HAVE SHOWN MEANINGFUL ENGAGEMENT WITH ATD AND GROWTH IN STUDENT OUTCOMES THROUGH OUR LEADER COLLEGE, LEADER COLLEGE OF DISTINCTION, AND LEAH MEYER AUSTIN AWARD (RECOGNIZING FOUR-YEAR IMPROVEMENT IN THREE-YEAR COLLEGE GRADUATION RATES OR IMPROVEMENT IN TRANSFER OUT TO BACHELOR'S COMPLETION). DREAM AND OTHER HIGHLY FOCUSED EVENTS ALLOW ATD TO DEEPEN ITS CONNECTION TO NETWORK COLLEGES, SHOWCASE EFFECTIVE PRACTICES, AND DRAW IN NEW COLLEGES INTERESTED IN ENGAGING IN INSTITUTIONAL TRANSFORMATION.ATD ALSO CONTINUED ITS WORK IN SUPPORT OF STUDENT PARENTS THROUGH THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE WOMEN SUCCEED INITIATIVE. THIS WORK INCLUDES ENGAGING WITH LEADERS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY TO LEARN ABOUT GAPS AND PROMISING PRACTICES, HOSTING REGIONAL FOCUS GROUPS, AND PARTNERING WITH STAKEHOLDERS TO PRODUCE TIMELY RESOURCES FOR COLLEGES. IN THE SPRING, IN RESPONSE TO THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC, ATD HELD A HOST OF WEBINARS AND OTHER VIRTUAL EVENTS, PROVIDED NO-COST VIRTUAL CONSULTATIONS FOR COLLEGES LEADERS, AND RELEASED TOOLKITS AND GUIDES AIMED AT HELPING COLLEGES TRANSITION TO SERVING STUDENTS IN A VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT AND BUILD THEIR CAPACITY FOR THE RESILIENCY AND AGILITY DEMANDED DURING THIS CRISIS.

INNOVATION AND LEADERSHIP SERVICES:OUR WORK IN THIS AREA FOCUSES ON THE IDEATION, DESIGN AND INCUBATION OF PROGRAMMATIC SUPPORTS FOR THE COLLEGES AND PARTNERS WE SERVE AS WELL AS STRENGTHENING ATD'S CAPACITY TO DO THIS WORK. THIS YEAR, ATD WAS SELECTED TO RECEIVE A GRANT FROM THE BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION TO BECOME AN INTERMEDIARY FOR SCALE (IFS) AND FURTHER ATD'S WORK IN TRANSFORMING COLLEGES AS A CONNECTOR, ADVISOR, AND STRATEGIST. IN THE INITIAL PHASE OF THIS WORK, ATD AND OTHER IFS INSTITUTIONS ARE FOCUSED ON BUILDING CAPACITY TO SUPPORT COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES INTERESTED IN STUDENT-CENTERED TRANSFORMATION.COLLEGES WHO HAVE COMPLETED THEIR FIRST THREE YEARS MOVE ON TO SELECT MORE TAILORED SUPPORTS IN SUBSEQUENT YEARS. SOME DELVE INTO HOLISTIC STUDENT SUPPORTS OR TEACHING AND LEARNING SERVICES, WHICH COME WITH MORE IN-DEPTH ASSESSMENTS, COACHING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. WE ALSO HELD EVENTS FOR COLLEGES IN HOLISTIC STUDENT SUPPORTS AND IN TEACHING AND LEARNING, INCORPORATING LEARNINGS FROM GRANTS FOCUSED ON OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (OER) IMPLEMENTATION AND THE ENGAGEMENT OF ADJUNCT FACULTY IN STUDENT SUCCESS. THROUGH AN ONGOING GRANTS FROM THE WILLIAM AND FLORA HEWLETT FOUNDATION, ASCENDIUM EDUCATION GROUP, AND THE BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION, ATD CONTINUED OUR OER WORK WITH 38 COLLEGES IN 13 STATES AIMED AT REMOVING FINANCIAL ROADBLOCKS THAT CAN DERAIL STUDENTS' PROGRESS AND SPURRING INNOVATION IN COURSE DESIGN THAT WILL INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD OF COURSE COMPLETION. IN THE SPRING, ATD RELEASED THE LARGEST STUDY EVER ON OER, SHOWING THE POSITIVE IMPACT OF INTRODUCING OER COURSES ON A BROAD SCALE.ATD ALSO CONTINUED ITS WORK, WITH SUPPORT FROM ASCENDIUM EDUCATION GROUP, COACHING 33 TRIBAL COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITIES. THESE INSTITUTIONS HAVE DEMONSTRATED VAST IMPROVEMENTS IN THEIR ABILITY TO COLLECT AND USE DATA EFFECTIVELY TO CLOSE ACHIEVEMENT GAPS AND THE GRANT HAS ENABLED TO ATD HAS CREATED CONTENT AND COACHING PROCESSES THAT ARE CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE. WITH SUPPORT FROM AN ANONYMOUS FUNDER, ATD CONTINUED ITS WORK, TESTING OUR HOLISTIC STUDENT SUPPORTS MATERIALS IN THE TRIBAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY SETTING.IN THE SPRING, ATD AND THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, LAUNCHED A NEW INITIATIVE, THE RACIAL EQUITY LEADERSHIP ACADEMY, WITH FUNDING FROM THE KRESGE FOUNDATION THAT WILL SUPPORT A GROUP OF TEN COLLEGES THROUGH STRATEGIC RACIAL EQUITY CHANGE EFFORTS BEGINNING IN 2021.OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS, ATD WILL EXPAND THESE SERVICES AND ADD OR EXPAND INTO NEW AREAS, INCLUDING RACIAL EQUITY, LEADERSHIP, AND K-12 PARTNERSHIPS.

GATEWAY TO COLLEGE NATIONAL NETWORK:IN APRIL 2019, GATEWAY TO COLLEGE NATIONAL NETWORK MERGED WITH ATD. GATEWAY TO COLLEGE PROGRAMS REENGAGE OFF-TRACK AND OUT OF SCHOOL YOUTH, AGES 16-21, IN COLLEGE-BASED REENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS, WHERE STUDENTS COMPLETE THEIR HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA, WHILE EARNING COLLEGE CREDITS. IN FY20, GRADUATES OF GATEWAY TO COLLEGE PROGRAMS EARNED AN AVERAGE OF 20 COLLEGE CREDITS. OVERALL, ABOUT 75% OF GRADUATES CONTINUE IN POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION. ATD PROVIDES TRAINING, DATA AND LEADERSHIP COACHING, AND PEER LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE 32 GATEWAY TO COLLEGE PROGRAMS ACROSS 19 STATES, INCLUDING OUR NEWEST PROGRAM, AT MT HOOD COMMUNITY COLLEGE, LAUNCHED DURING THE YEAR. THROUGH GATEWAY TO COLLEGE, ATD HAS EXPANDED ITS ABILITY TO SERVE ATD NETWORK COLLEGES IN BUILDING AND STRENGTHENING PIPELINES TO THEIR K-12 PARTNERS.

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