Building Support for Student Success: A Framework for Achieving the Dream's State Policy Work

Achieving the Dream aims to bring about significant changes in state policies—including regulations, laws, funding and incentives, administration and governance—to promote improved outcomes for community college students. The initiative seeks to promote a state policy culture that uses evidence to influence decisions about resources, rules, and accountability. This kind of data-driven culture must be grounded in state data systems that provide a rich array of accessible information about student outcomes. Over time, policy changes sparked by Achieving the Dream should support significant improvement in student outcomes in participating colleges and across the state’s community colleges.