Literature Review #1

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About the Author: 

Elizabeth Mann Levesque earned her B.A. and Ph.D. in political science at the University of Michigan. Later, as a fellow at the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution, she studied a wide range of education policy issues, including civics education, employer and community college workforce development partnerships, and federal regulations related to the Every Student Succeeds Act. Elizabeth is currently a Nonresident Fellow at the Brookings Institution and an Instructional Consultant for the Foundational Course Initiative at the University of Michigan’s Center for Research on Learning and Teaching

Citations:

Levesque, Elizabeth Mann. “Improving Community College Completion Rates by Addressing Structural and Motivational Barriers.” Brookings, Brookings, 22 Oct. 2018, www.brookings.edu/research/community-college-completion-rates-structural-and-motivational-barriers/. 

Summary of the Article

The article discusses how many community college students in the U.S. do not complete a credential or degree, facing dramatically reduced earning potential. However, evidence, studies, and research suggest that helping students navigate the college environment and connect their coursework to their lives can help solve the community college completion puzzle. In this report, Elizabeth Mann Levesque discusses the structural and motivational barriers these students face, potential solutions, and offers policy recommendations to boost completion rates.

Key Terms 

Guided pathway:  College help students journey through college by providing structured choice, revamped support, and clear learning outcomes—ultimately helping more students achieve their college completion goals.

Minority students/low-income students: Population at higher risk of dropping out of school. Those who complete high school are less likely to attend college than students from higher-income families.

Quotes :

“Indeed, community colleges could play a pivotal role in providing a pathway to upward economic mobility because of their ability to reach a large population of low-income and minority students.” ( Levesque)

“Addressing the structural barrier requires rethinking the organization of community colleges to reduce the confusion and frustration that contributes to low completion rates. This type of approach is referred to as the “guided pathways” model.” ( Levesque)

“Further, this work suggests that increasing students’ perception of the value of their coursework can have powerful, positive effects, particularly for students who initially have low expectancies.” ( Levesque)

Value: 

This source will be valuable for my research because it demonstrates strategies based on research, studies, and models to overcome the college barrier to completion for lower-income students. This article contains relevant analysis for improving student outcomes by coming up with potential solutions such as policymaking and seeking to provide students with a viable route to upward economic mobility, employers hoping to strengthen their workforce development partnerships, and philanthropies invested in reducing economic inequality.


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