CCC Dreamers Project (Full Report)

Themes/Topics: Higher Education

Geography: California

Audience: Ally, Educator

Summary

In 2019, the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO), Immigrants Rising, and the Foundation for California Community Colleges generated a report understanding the current state of undocumented students attending California Community Colleges (CCC). This report was produced through a landscape analysis consisting of online surveys, regional meetings, and guidance from an Advisory Group.

This report outlines the presenting challenges of undocumented students attending CCCs, recommendations on how to respond to these issues, and current promising practices that address them.

Who may benefit from this resource?

This report can be particularly helpful for researchers, advocates, practitioners, policy-makers, and decision-makers in higher education who are seeking to improve or implement practices at the individual, group, or institutional levels.

Outline

  1. Methodology: The CCC Dreamer Project consisted of 1) the creation of a Dreamer Advisory Group (DAG); 2) development of a quantitative survey, the CCC Dreamers Survey; and 3) regional meetings across California with Undocumented Student Advocates from CCCs.
  2. Institutional challenges, Recommendations, and Promising Practices:
    1. Challenge #1: Inadequate inability to outreach to undocumented students and protect student data
      • Recommendation #1: Improve identification, student data protection, and outreach
    2. Challenge #2: Insufficient institutional support/campus wide training
      • Recommendation #2: Increase staff training & support
    3. Challenge #3: Need for dedicated stakeholders, staff, and space at each campus
      • Recommendation #3: Formalize support for dedicated stakeholders, staff & space at each campus
    4. Challenge #4: Need for better access to financial support
      • Recommendation #4: Improve access to financial support for all undocumented students
    5. Challenge #5: Need for increased student engagement and direct services to increase student retention
      • Recommendation #5: Expand strategies to promote student retention
    6. Challenge #6: Need for definitive guidance from CCC Chancellor’s Office
      • Recommendation #6: Ensure CCCCO’s statewide guidance and policy support

Topics & Keywords

California Community Colleges (CCC), higher education, dream resource centers


This report is a culmination of a statewide landscape analysis, led by Nancy Jodaitis and Madeleine Villanueva from Immigrants Rising, in collaboration with the Foundation for California Community Colleges, the Dreamers Advisory Group, and the California Community College Chancellor’s Office.


Immigrants Rising helps you make decisions based on your potential, not your perceived limits. Visit our website so you can see what’s possible: immigrantsrising.org. For inquiries regarding this resource, please contact Nancy Jodaitis, Director of Higher Education at nancy@immigrantsrising.org. Published 6/2019.

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