Students Speak: Are We Listening?

With almost half of community college students dropping out before the beginning of their second year, college leaders increasingly are focusing on the “front door” of their institutions. What needs to happen during students’ first weeks in college, and even before they arrive, to increase their chances of finishing what they start? Students have important stories to tell about their experiences. Alongside each community college’s own quantitative data about student engagement, learning, persistence, and completion, student voices can help point the way toward far better outcomes for many more community college students. On the DVD; that accompanies the book are video clips that bring students' stories to life. Readers can use this 12-minute video to prompt conversation within their own colleges and communities.