Tennessee’s community colleges are “probably the furthest along in implementing guided pathways reforms” of any community college system in the nation, according to a new study by Columbia University in New York City that was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
“All 13 Tennessee community colleges are reforming their programs, policies, and processes to better help students choose, enter, navigate, and complete programs in fields of interest to them and to ensure that these programs prepare students to advance in the labor market and pursue further education at the bachelor’s level and beyond,” the study by Columbia’s Community College Research Center (CCRC) said.
Further, by implementing Tennessee completion practices that reflect the guided pathways model across multiple areas of the student experience simultaneously, the colleges are strengthening support for students throughout their entire college pathway, the Columbia researchers said.
