Community College Baccalaureate Association and Bragg & Associates Publish Groundbreaking eBook

20 Promising Practices to Advance Quality, Equity, and Success in Community College Baccalaureate Degree Programs

ORLANDO, Fla. (July 13, 2022) – With the support of ECMC Foundation, the Community College Baccalaureate Association (CCBA), in partnership with Bragg & Associates, recently published a groundbreaking eBook that highlights 20 promising practices implemented by baccalaureate-conferring community colleges across the nation.

Focused on the central question: “What practices make community college baccalaureate (CCB) programs valuable to students?,” the eBook features practices that contribute to more equitable education and employment outcomes for students, many of whom represent historically underserved groups.

“Promising practices, as defined for this project, are the keys to making innovative, workforce-focused CCB programs succeed,” says CCBA President Dr. Angela Kersenbrock. “They include critical ingredients required to produce high-quality CCB programs that promote equitable education, employment, and life outcomes for students and graduates. They also demonstrate what works in a real-world setting that may be rooted in practical experience and also in evidence such as qualitative and quantitative data gathered by program faculty and staff.”

The eBook was authored by a team of researchers led by Dr. Debra Bragg, President of Bragg & Associates, and her colleagues, Tim Harmon, Tammy Napiontek and Ellen Wasserman, as well as Dr. Angela Kersenbrock.. Prior to the work on promising practices, a national inventory of CCB programs in 25 states was conducted in collaboration with the Center for Education Labor at New America (CELNA) where Dr. Bragg is a fellow for community colleges. A 13-member advisory council also provided critical guidance on all aspects of the project.

“Our thorough nomination process uncovered equity-focused promising practices from practitioners responsible for planning and implementing CCB programs nationwide,” Dr. Bragg explains. “The eBook is a culmination of ideas and resources to help more practitioners design high-value CCB programs to reach students who may have never thought a baccalaureate degree was possible for them.”

The centerpiece for the eBook is a set of 20 promising practices that align with six critical dimensions of high-value CCB degree programs including:

• leadership and organizational support;
• access, equity, and outcomes;
• pathway design;
• curriculum and instruction;
• student supports; and
• employer partnerships.

Each promising practice profile identifies the CCB degree program with which it is affiliated, how the promising practice works, available evidence of student enrollments and outcomes, lessons learned, and practitioner contact information.

“We are living during a period when the futures of individuals, communities, and the nation rest significantly on the ability for community colleges to ensure student success,” says Madeline Pumariega, CCBA Board Member and President of Miami Dade College. “Having the ability to learn about promising practices from other institutions helps reimagine the student experience. Sharing promising practices inspires colleges to continue redesigning and personalizing the student experience by strengthening processes, practices and student support services that serve as guides to effective academic and career pathways. It is essential to expand opportunities and eliminate barriers of access by offering flexible modalities and innovative curriculum to support equity and success.”

ABOUT CCBA
Since 1999, the Community College Baccalaureate Association (CCBA) has been the nation’s only organization dedicated to promoting baccalaureate degrees on community college campuses as a means of closing racial, ethnic, and economic gaps by providing its members access to research data and strategic guidance as they develop and implement their baccalaureate degree programs.

ABOUT BRAGG & ASSOCIATES
Bragg & Associates, Inc., is a research and evaluation consulting firm dedicated to more equitable student outcomes in education and employment. Dr. Debra Bragg, President, formed the company in 2012, and she has worked with clients located across the U.S. and internationally since that time. Her projects build on her extensive experience in higher education, including her endowed professorship at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and leadership in founding two community college research centers, one at UIUC, and the second at the University of Washington in Seattle.