Student Success Center

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The Washington Student Success Center supports the thirty-four community and technical colleges through focused priorities, strategic partner engagement, and reform efforts using an equity-centered Guided Pathways framework.

The Student Success Center unites work being done throughout the state at the college level into statewide initiatives by encouraging peer support and learning between colleges, experts from our communities, students, and experts from across the country. Working to increase access to shared resources and a community of learning, the Center convenes college teams and partner organizations throughout the year to foster peer and expert learning opportunities designed to inspire and accelerate meaningful policy and practice changes.

To provide the best support, the Student Success Center has identified four key priorities to guide our work: Completion, Equity, Learning, and Research.

Center Priorities

Completion: Increasing meaningful credential completion rates of all students.

Equity: Closing the equity gap for underserved communities.

Learning: Offering an aligned and coherent learning agenda designed to build capacity in essential practice areas, equity competencies, and systemic change leadership.

Research: Deepened understanding of effective practice in partnership with colleges, SBCTC, and leading researchers in the field through ongoing evaluation and dissemination of learning.

Accomplishing the Center Priorities

Learn more about how the Student Success Center accomplishes its priorities and the work being done.

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Guided Pathways

Why Guided Pathways?

The Washington Round table set an important educational attainment goal; by the year 2030, 70 percent of Washington students will earn a postsecondary credential by age 26. This requires doubling postsecondary credential attainment, and re-imagining how our system is designed- focusing on serving historically underserved communities as critical thought partners and participants in an economic development plan.

What is Guided Pathways?

Guided Pathways [to careers] provides the necessary framework for a higher education model that advances racial, social, and economic justice. Through changes in how the student experience is structured, achieving equitable student aspiration, access, economic progress and educational and career attainment is possible. The Guided Pathways framework focuses on addressing key momentum areas including:

Alignment of learning outcomes to labor market and junior level (major ready) competencies for transfer
Excellent anti-racist, equity-minded pedagogy
Clear pathways to achieve those outcomes- students know what classes to take when
Excellent intake and on-boarding processes- fostering a deep sense of belonging for each student
Informed choices- how students choose a pathway and program
Holistic supports- how students are supported to stay on a pathway to completion

This requires challenging assumptions and long standing beliefs, practices, and policies, and is an adaptive, transformative institution-wide change process taking place at the colleges.

Washington Guided Pathways Implementation

Learn more about how Washington has centered equity including the current year priority strategies for scaling and sustaining the current reforms.

Find out more about the Washington Guided Pathways implementation model.

Strategic Partners

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation assists in aiding the individuals across the world through education, collaboration, innovation, and initiatives. Through research and work with partners, they seek to reduce inequity, provide better worldwide healthcare, empower individuals, and inspire action in individuals and communities globally. Alongside its global goals, the Gates Foundation has a U.S. based program focused on increasing college readiness, high school graduation, and large-scale change to how post-secondary institutions operate.

Find out more about the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

College Spark Washington (CSW)

College Spark funds a variety of programs across the state to help increase access to higher education for low-income students. As the need for a college educated workforce grows, the programs funded by College Spark explore how to increase college readiness, provide success to college students, and graduate ready for their future. College Spark funds programs at public schools, community organizations, both public and private colleges, and other groups that help with college preparation.

Find out more about College Spark Washington.

Community College Research Center (CCRC)

Since 1996 the Community College Research Center has studied community colleges across the United States to learn about their work and help them provide the best opportunities to their students. To achieve this CCRC is led by the values of rigorous research, actionable knowledge, collaboration, equity, and optimism.

Find out more about the Community College Research Center.

Community College Research Initiatives (CCRI)

“The Community College Research Initiatives (CCRI) group conducts research on equitable college access, progression and transfer, degree completion, and employment in living-wage careers for underserved students and diverse learner populations throughout the United States.”

From CCRI at University of Washington

Jobs for the Future (JFF)

Jobs for the Future strives to promote change that will better prepare individuals for the shifting needs of future employers. Partnering with governmental organizations, technology companies, and business partners, JFF has three main concentrations that their work focuses on; ensuring equity in advancement, meeting employer needs, and preparing for the future of work. JFF is a national organization with creating broad impact across the country.

Find out more about Jobs for the Future.

Research and Resources

Visit the Student Success Center resource bank to discover more about advising and holistic student supports, anti-racist and equity resources, change management, data and dashboards, Guided Pathways framework, intake, mathematics, onboarding, placement, program mapping and curricular design, and technology.