Texas Community Colleges Selected by Lumina Foundation for National Collaborative Focused on Creating Equitable Credential Pathways for Adults of Color
Austin – Texas Association of Community Colleges’ Texas Success Center was selected by Lumina Foundation to join the Racial Equity for Adult Credentials in Higher Education (REACH) Collaborative, a national initiative focused on helping thousands more Black, Hispanic, Latino, and Native American adults earn credentials. A total of 48 community colleges in Texas will participate in the collaborative, creating pathways from quality credentials to associates programs that embed culturally sustaining practices and sequenced student supports.
Persistent structural barriers continue to limit education and training opportunities and outcomes for adults of color. Pathways created through the REACH Collaborative will lead to quality short-term credentials that align with associate degree programs, making it possible for Black, Hispanic, Latino, and Native American adults to pursue better job prospects while continuing to progress toward a degree. Colleges will implement a holistic approach to delivering support that combines comprehensive academic, advising, and financial supports tailored to the unique needs of adult learners of color. An intentional focus on weaving practices that honor and nurture students’ cultures, values, heritage, and language into each part of the student experience will ensure that the pathways are anchored in racial equity.
States were selected for their innovative, student-centered pathways efforts, supports for adult students, and demonstrated commitment to equitable student success. The Texas Success Center is building on the foundation of its successful Texas Pathways strategy to expand short-term and industry-based credentials that lead toward high-demand careers with family-sustaining wages. Texas Reskilling and Upskilling through Education (TRUE) Pathways begin with short-term credentials that can stand alone as new training opportunities for immediate employment but are also intended to stack so that learners can pursue further in-demand skills and credentials.
In May, the Texas Legislature passed, and the Governor signed into law, TRUE legislation (SB 1102), which authorizes funding for a new state grant program focused on short-term credentials aligned with employers’ skills needs. In July, the Governor provided $25M in the Governor’s Emergency Relief (GEER) funds earmarked to launch TRUE grants. The first cohort of TRUE grants are expected to be awarded next month.
Community colleges participating in the collaborative will develop between four and eight academic pathways that align with in-demand career fields. Equity champions, community partners, and workforce leaders will be engaged at the state and local levels to support colleges in designing the pathways and ensuring equitable economic outcomes.
Texas community colleges are committed to the REACH Collaborative’s goal of increasing credentials earned by Black, Latino, and Native American learners, ages 25-64, enrolled at participating community colleges by two percent over the next two years.
“Developed within an equity framework, the Texas Pathways model will accelerate high-value credential attainment for success in the Texas economy while looking to close the gaps in postsecondary achievement for all Texans,” said Jacob Fraire, TACC President and CEO.
As efforts to enroll and graduate more adult learners of color have intensified in recent years, systemic barriers in higher education remain. The adoption of widespread reform efforts at institutions across the country has shown some promising results in improving completion rates, but work remains to serve adults and close racial equity gaps more intentionally. Disparities exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic threaten to widen the 17-point percentage gap between white and Black adults and further compound inequalities that have been laid bare. The REACH Collaborative will work to close the gap by expanding on pathway reform efforts in a way that acknowledges and addresses the needs and lived experiences of adult learners of color.
“There is an urgent need to provide functional and equitable pathways to attainment for adults of color,” said Jamie Merisotis, president and CEO of Lumina Foundation. “Lumina is proud to support the REACH Collaborative, not only as a necessary effort to reach our own attainment goal but as a moral imperative. Community colleges are uniquely suited for this critical work because of their long history as diverse engines of social mobility, addressing the needs of both students and the workforce.”
Other states selected for the REACH Collaborative are California, Colorado, New York, North Carolina, and Virginia. Education Strategy Group (ESG) and the Office of Community College Research and Leadership (OCCRL) at the University of Illinois will lead the collaborative and coordinate technical assistance for participating community colleges, system offices, and student success centers. DVP-PRAXIS LTD is serving as the learning and evaluation partner.