Ivy Tech spent years trying to improve rock bottom graduation rates — and it's working

As a stopgap solution to housing insecurity among students, Long Beach Community College launched the Safe Parking Program, which allows students to sleep in their cars in a designated lot that has Wi-Fi, bathrooms and showers, and security on duty. The pilot program started with 13 students and was later expanded to become a permanent offering.

Community colleges in Colorado increased graduation rates by reforming remedial class programs, making sure students' food and housing needs are met, and improving academic advising.

While community colleges across the country saw a decrease in enrollment during the pandemic, one school, Nashville State, saw a slight increase in the number of Tennesse Reconnect students enrolled. Tenneese Recconnect is a statewide program that helps students pay tuition at a community college. It wasn’t just the financial assistance that helped those students stay in school, but the support. At Nashville State, Reconnect students are part of a program that gives them support, connection with other students, and even helped to pay for their textbooks.

Community colleges are increasingly leveraging technology to engage students and keep them on track to graduation. Personalized messages about deadlines, information about class performance from professors, and texts about homework resources all contribute to a "fuller picture" of students and empower administrators with the information to intervene when necessary.

Community colleges were originally designed to be affordable and accessible, yet the myriad pressures on students means that the best intentions often don’t lead to positive results. But the University of Central Florida and its partners are proving a new model called DirectConnect—heavy on individual attention and clear academic goals—that paves a surer path.

The Communities in Schools program (CIS) places trained navigators in low-income schools to provide wraparound social support, helping students and families access public benefits, cover emergency expenses, provide behavioral counseling and address barriers that prevent students from succeeding academically. The non-profit has been helping students for 50 years, serving 2 million children across 26 states, and has seen significant academic and economic outcomes, including increasing high school graduation and college enrollment rates.

Self-directed learning centers in Massachusetts, such as North Star, provide an alternative for students who don't thrive in traditional schools. These centers allow homeschooled students to pursue their own interests through optional classes, tutoring, and community activities, with no mandatory attendance or standardized curriculum requirements. North Star has operated successfully for 30 years, growing from a handful of students to 65 expected enrollees in the coming school year.

Some colleges and universities, such as the Community College of Allegheny County, are expanding opportunities for students to earn academic credit for previous work and life experience, allowing them to bypass some courses and requirements covering skills they've already learned on the job. According to one study, these programs can result in significant tuition savings and help students cut down on the time it takes to finish a degree.

To help address low school attendance and retention among girls, Kano’s state government launched a transportation initiative with buses that bring students to and from school for N50 per trip, a much lower cost than arriving by commercial rickshaw. Both students and teachers report that the program has made it easier and less costly to arrive at school on time.

Free school meal programs help improve students’ health, support better academic performance and combat hunger and food insecurity. Several states have passed legislation to keep free meal plans active after federal waivers ran out in 2022. In Michigan alone in October 2023, the 3,459 school meal sites across the state served 10,064,686 free breakfasts and 17,659,809 free lunches.