Proposed Solutions Low Graduation Rates at Glendale Community College

LOW GRADUATION RATES AT GLENDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Low Graduation Rates at Glendale Community College: Proposed Solutions

In the present scenario, the problem happens to be low graduation rates at Glendale Community College. More specifically, the college has a graduation rate of 31%. Although the said graduation rate happens to be higher than that of collages that could be deemed similar to Glendale Community College, there is need to ensure that the number of students dropping out of this particular college is minimized. This is more so the case with regard to the graduation rate of Black learners which as per the most recent data stands at 12.29%. As the college points out in its mission statement, it “exists to ensure students identify their educational goals and needs and successfully accomplish student learning” (Glendale Community College, 2022). Reining in the low graduation rate for Black (Non-Hispanic) learners would be in keeping with the basic tenets of this mission statement. One strategy that could be embraced on this front is reaching out to learners while they are still in middle school and equipping them with the skills necessary to enhance their success in college. These could be inclusive of; effective time management skills, communication skills, stress management skills, etc. (Dillion, 2014). This strategy has been successfully deployed at Ohio State via a program christened the Young Scholars Program. Thus, Glendale Community College could seek to collaborate with other institutions of higher learning in mentorship efforts of this nature. Next, Glendale Community College could also connect its students with certain key stakeholders who provide learners with the resources meant to help them navigate college. Such stakeholders could be inclusive of community groups and local churches. This, as DeRuy (2016) indicates, is a strategy that has been successfully deployed by Texas Tech. In this case, Black students are aided by community groups and local churches on multiple fronts, i.e. in relation to “navigating the system, sharing the unwritten rules of culture, connecting them with resources” etc. (DeRuy, 2016).