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In 2021, the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) joined institutions nationwide in the Racial Equity for Adult Credentials in Higher Education (REACH) Collaborative launched by Lumina Foundation. REACH aimed to increase the number of Black, Hispanic and Latino, and Native American adult students with quality credentials and degrees by 2%. Two dozen North Carolina community colleges participated in REACH, funded by the Lumina Foundation and the John M. Belk Endowment.
After three years – and participation from over 100 community colleges across the county – the REACH Collaborative is coming to an end.
Lumina Foundation published a number of briefs throughout the years highlighting lessons learned from community college leaders implementing REACH.
Below are some of the key takeaways.
Key takeaways from REACH
The REACH Collaborative was guided by a framework that includes three pillars as described by Lumina Foundation:
- Credentials to degrees pathways designed to fit the busy lives of adult learners of color as they progress toward high-wage, family-supporting careers.
- Bundled and sequenced supports that remove potential barriers to success by proactively providing adult learners of color with what they need when they need it, inside and outside the classroom.
- Culturally sustaining practices focused on creating environments where adult learners of color feel their racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds and lived experiences are acknowledged and valued.
Community college practitioners expressed that while the pillars are important, implementing the framework is most successful when colleges focus on flexibility, strong relationships, and empowering environments.
“While the pillars themselves are powerful, we’ve learned over the last three years that they are most effective when adapted through flexible, holistic approaches, supportive relationships, and an intentional emphasis on empowering students in ways that recognize their individuality and respect their insights as opposed to a monolithic standard,” says a recent press release from Lumina Foundation.
Lumina Foundation shared that as colleges examined both enrollment and labor market data and focus group and survey responses, leaders were prompted to design pathway programs that accounted for the needs, challenges, and opportunities of their colleges’ service areas.
Lenoir Community College has served Latine adult learners in North Carolina for nearly a decade through the Centro Educativo Latino. The center offers around 70 Spanish-language workforce courses in programs that include EMS, HVAC, electrical technician, and automotive technician. Everything from outreach to advising to courses are provided in Spanish.
Equally important to the work of REACH are relationships. It’s imperative that students build relationships with peers, coaches, faculty, and other campus staff to ensure support and persistence.
Leaders from Forsyth Technical Community College said that listening to students has been essential to their ability to meet the needs of adult learners of color.
After a week of focus groups, the college learned that some of the biggest barriers to adult learners completing was lack of support – including child care, financial, mental health, and peer.
Students in the focus groups advocated for an adult learner support group and an opportunity to connect with other adult learners to share their experiences. The college implemented monthly “adult learner drop-ins” with child care provided. These drop-ins are a chance for students to gather with peers, share a meal, and learn about college and career supports that exist at the college.
Relationships also include connections college leaders make with community and industry leaders who can help promote pathways, offer internships, and provide additional wraparound supports.
Gaston College partners with CaroMont Health to help develop the health care workforce and support current CaroMont Health employees through the college’s licensed practical nurse (LPN) pathway. The program allows CaroMont Health employees to remain employed while completing the college’s LPN pathway tuition free.
Central Carolina Community College works with an advisory of local pastors to better understand and support students and the community. Part of that work includes letting the local faith community know about the jobs coming to the area and the education and training needed for those jobs.
While REACH is coming to an end, Lumina Foundation said they remain focused on “better serving adults of color” and that their “commitment to community colleges as engines of social mobility are stronger than ever.”
You can read more about the REACH Collaborative here and find research briefs highlighting REACH’s framework and approach here.
Editor’s note: The John M. Belk Endowment supports the work of EducationNC.
