Thomas Bailey calls for more research on community colleges to help these institutions better serve their student populations.  A report he co-authored, Paths to Persistence: An Analysis of Research on Program Effectiveness at Community Colleges, is being issued by the Lumina Foundation as part of its initiative, Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count.  This initiative aims to help community colleges design and implement changes that will increase the success of their students, particularly those who are low-income and minority.

Bailey is a professor of economics and education and director of TC's Community College Research Center.  "The goal of this is to provide background information and analysis to support a broad effort to strengthen the use of data and research in improving student outcomes at community colleges," he said.  "It is important for the colleges to search for the best information they can find and monitor progress as thoroughly and rigorously as possible."

The report can be found on the Lumina Foundation Web site.

Published Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2005