Research Institute at Dallas College

In a recent American Association of Community Colleges "Community College Daily" article, Tabitha Whissemore explains that, despite recent decades’ research and innovation aimed at fixing developmental education, reform efforts have stalled. One roadblock has been a lack of national data on students taking remedial courses and on their outcomes. A lack of understanding of student outcomes is particularly problematic in a system that may be perpetuating inequities: a New America report from 2020 showed that most students placed into remedial courses were disproportionately Black, Latino/a, and/or low-income. A study of early momentum in math by the Research Institute at Dallas College underscores how institutions can take on much-needed outcomes research of developmental education that is tailored to their particular contexts. In Dallas College’s case, academic leadership wanted to know if Texas’s mandated corequisite model is helping students gain early momentum and pass/complete college-level math requirements, as well as if students might be taking more courses than required for their pathways, thereby costing them more time and tuition. Findings showed that the co-requisite model is, indeed, helping students gain early momentum and that the majority of students who complete college-level math at Dallas College do so in the appropriate number of terms/courses. However, disaggregating reveals different outcomes across student groups. In the examples shown below, higher proportions of adult learners and first-generation students at Dallas College have not yet completed college-level math, compared to their counterparts. Such differences underscore the need for institutions to understand nuanced outcomes and tailor responses to help all students succeed.

October is here, and the Research Institute at Dallas College would love to see you at our virtual presentations this month! At two upcoming events, McKenna Griffin and Emily Trekell Sharma, Ed.D. will discuss a joint project with Math leadership to answer key questions around developmental education and its effectiveness under Texas’s state-mandated co-requisite model: 🔹 Wed, Oct 16, 9 am Central: “Doubling Up for Early Momentum: Evaluating Student Outcomes Under Texas’s Co-Requisite Model” at the College Academic Support Programs (CASP) Virtual Conference. 🔹 Thurs, Oct 17, 11:10 am Central: “Guiding Students Through Together: Examining Early Momentum in Math With Cross-Divisional Collaboration and Research” at the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Fall Virtual Conference Also at the NISOD Fall Virtual Conference, Emily Trekell Sharma, Ed.D. will co-present with Sharon Manna, Interim Dean of Marketable Skills and Digital Badging at Dallas College, showcasing initiatives at Dallas College that have helped to strategically enmesh career readiness goals across the institution. Attendees will learn key takeaways from integrating marketable skills into the classroom, implementing digital badging, and incorporating career readiness into the QEP. 🔹 Thurs, Oct 17, 3:10 pm Central: “Students’ Jobs are Everyone’s Job: Intentional Cross-Functional Collaboration for Student Success and Career Readiness”

Did you know that October 3rd is Latina Equal Pay Day? This represents the approximate date Latina women must work into the new year to make what non-Hispanic White men made in the previous year. Nationally, Latinas working full-time, year-round are paid 57 cents, and all earners (including part-time and seasonal) are paid 52 cents, for every dollar paid to non-Hispanic White men (data from US Census Bureau: 2022 CPS and ACS 5-Year Data). The Research Institute at Dallas College is committed to analyzing long-term wage outcomes of students across our state, including identifying any equity gaps. What do these outcomes look like for the Latino/a community in Texas? The graph below shows median annual earnings for the cohort of student entering college in Texas in 2010. A wage gap does exist between White students and Latino/a students and is even more pronounced for Latina women. With disaggregated analyses in hand, postsecondary institutions are better equipped to identify the equity challenges their own students will face long-term and can then better tailor academic advising or support, as well as other initiatives for education to help combat social inequities. #LatinaEqualPayDay #EqualPay #GenderPayGap

Across Texas, in recent years, women have outpaced men in the number of postsecondary credentials awarded, including associate degrees. The state’s population as a whole is evenly split across men and women, but nearly two-thirds of associate degrees are awarded to women. In an effort to ensure that they are helping all Texans reap the benefits of higher education, institutions need to first be aware of their own gender breakdowns across credentials. At Dallas College, the gender proportions of associate degrees granted are in line with state trends and indicate a need for initiatives for increased access and success for male students, such as the highly successful Male Achievement Program (MAP). The links between attainment, gender, and economic mobility are complex, e.g., men match or outpace women in earning short-term certificates and research doctoral degrees. Further research is needed to create a long-term, holistic picture of the school-to-career pathways that men and women take in Texas and what their outcomes are.

September 15 to October 15 marks National Hispanic Heritage Month. This month, and every month, the Research Institute celebrates Dallas College’s designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and engages in research to learn how we can continue to best serve and empower the Hispanic community through education. While Dallas College awards more associate degrees to Hispanic students than any other institution in Texas (and second-most in the United States), we recognize that we are not alone in our efforts. The Research Institute is committed to examining long-term student outcomes not just at our own institution, but across the state and nation. Using data from the Postsecondary Value Commission’s Equitable Value Explorer, we recently examined the extent to which HSIs across the country are providing economic value to their students. Two key findings from Texas show promising outcomes for Hispanic students: 🔸 Hispanic students in Texas realize positive value from higher education. 🔸 Earnings have risen for Hispanic students from more recent cohorts (see graph below). While there is much to celebrate regarding the long-term outcomes of Texas’s Hispanic college students, higher ed researchers must continue to examine nuances across student groups, such as the wage gaps that persist between Hispanic and non-Hispanic White students, as well as varying outcomes for Hispanic students across gender, race, special education status, and independent status. Link to the full Research Institute report in the comments. #SomosDallasCollege #HispanicHeritageMonth #HSIs

Hope to see many of our higher ed colleagues online on Wednesday!

Looking to conduct research on postsecondary value? Join the Navi Dhaliwal of the Research Institute at Dallas College, along with the Institute for Higher Education Policy and Trellis Strategies, for an upcoming webinar, “Elevating Equitable Value: Investigating Economic Outcomes of Postsecondary Education,” on September 18th at 1 pm Central. This webinar will uplift field-based research made possible by the Equitable Value Explorer (EVE), an interactive tool for researchers to explore detailed data on economic outcomes in higher education. Attend the virtual panel discussion to learn how to: ⚫ Use the tools functions and capabilities to their full potential. ⚫ Leverage the tool in your own research on equity and economic outcomes. ⚫ Translate your findings into recommendations for federal, state, and institutional policymakers. Learn how the Research Institute used the EVE to examine how postsecondary education shapes student wage outcomes at HSIs in “Equitable Value at Hispanic-Serving Institutions.” https://lnkd.in/gC5cvVq4 And register for the webinar today! Link in the comments below. #events #highered #edpolicy

The Research Institute at Dallas College is joining colleges and universities across the country to celebrate National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week this September 9th-15th by recognizing and expanding awareness of the vital work and critical role HSIs play in improving access to education, advancing equity, and how they contribute to our communities. Dallas College continues to be designated as one of 600 schools across the US empowering the Hispanic community through education. In fact, Dallas College awards more associate degrees to Hispanic students than any other institution in Texas (4,456 in ‘20/’21) and is second-most among all institutions in the United States. Year-round, the Research Institute is dedicated to analyses that examine student outcomes across race/ethnicity, gender, income level, and other characteristics to help ensure equity for all students. Below are some highlights of our work from this year that focuses specifically on Hispanic students. #HSIs, #HSIsWeek

Thank you, Marybeth Gasman for featuring the Research Institute at Dallas College in your Forbes article! We’re honored to be working alongside other teams like yours devoted to success for all students. David Mahan, Navi Dhaliwal, Sayeeda Jamilah, Dillon L., McKenna Griffin, Emily Trekell Sharma, Ed.D., Rutgers Graduate School of Education, The Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI), Dallas College https://lnkd.in/gc7GKiy4

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