What’s Up with DEI: Connecticut

Connecticut State Policy Blog Post
Over the next several weeks, we’ll be sharing some of DEI’s state policy and college accomplishments. We’re making our way (alphabetically!) through the six DEI states, profiling the DEI colleges in those states as we go. We’re leading off with Connecticut, the Constitution State!

The Connecticut Community College (CCC) system Chancellor’s Office serves as the state team lead for Connecticut’s ATD/DEI state policy work. Two of the state’s 12 community colleges participate in DEI (Housatonic and Norwalk), but the system has made great efforts to leverage ATD/DEI data collection, learning, and progress across all twelve institutions. In the last year, Connecticut has moved forward on all three DEI State Policy Framework levers:

Data-Driven Improvement

• A business intelligence tool is in beta testing for state-wide implementation; training is underway for a launch at all 12 Connecticut Community College system institutions.
• The system contributed data collection and analysis in a Connecticut Association for Human Services report: Developmental Education at Connecticut Community Colleges: The Key to Economic Recovery in February 2011.

Investment in Innovation

• A CCC’s Chancellor incentive funding program announced in 2010-2011 included:
• $50,000 per college devoted to developmental education initiatives
• $1.24M in incentive funding for improvements in intermediate benchmarks and developmental education outcomes
• $5,000 per college to support faculty involvement and professional development in curriculum redesign efforts.
• A professional development fund to support faculty participation at developmental education conferences to encourage utilization and dissemination of best practices throughout the system.

All 12 colleges will be invited to submit proposals for participation in the fund. 

Policy Supports

• Further support for longitudinal tracking system has been secured with an agreement between the State Department of Education and higher education units, and new legislation requiring unique identifiers on high school transcripts to facilitate data analysis on student success in college and the state’s workforce.
• The System also led a series of developmental education convenings in the last year:
• A Developmental Education Forum including the chancellor, presidents, academic deans, and deans of students.
• A Developmental Education Task Force; the task force submitted policy recommendations to the Council of Presidents in June 2011.

For more details on DEI state policy accomplishments, check out Jobs For the Future’s latest DEI publication Driving Innovation: How Six States Are Organizing to Improve Outcomes in Developmental Education Outcomes.

Abby Parcell is a Program Manager at MDC.