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Resources and Materials
There is a wealth of information available to become a successful advocate. All materials have been formatted so that you can distribute them electronically or print packets for face-to-face meetings. There are many quality resources available to you as you plan your advocacy strategy. The following list is just a beginning.
Information about the Bridges to Opportunity Initiative
The Community College Central Web Site
The Community College Central Web site houses the research and work behind the Ford Foundation's Bridges to Opportunity Initiative. At the Web site, visitors can access important research by Bridges partners, as well as reports and presentations from previous meetings, informational resources, and toolkits on subjects like workforce development programs and community college finance.
Bridges to Opportunity Initiative State Grantees
- Colorado Community College System
- Kentucky Community and Technical College System
- Knowledge Works Foundation, Ohio
- Louisiana Community and Technical College System
- Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges
Bridges Brochure
"Expanding Opportunity for the Underserved," an informational brochure produced by the Community College Bridges to Opportunity Initiative, provides essential information on the mission and works of community colleges and highlights the Bridges grantees.
Bridges to Opportunity Initiative Partners
American Association of Community Colleges
The primary advocacy organization for the nation's community colleges.Campaign for College Opportunity
Is devoted to ensuring that the next generation of college-age students in California has the chance to go to college as promised by the state’s 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education.Community College Leadership Program (CCLP)
The nation's oldest graduate program with a primary focus on the preparation of key community college leaders.Education Commission of the States
Helps state leaders shape education policy.KnowledgeWorks Foundation
Works to increase the number and diversity of people who value and access education, by creating and improving educational opportunity at pre-kindergarten through high school and post-high school institutions and through community organizations.Lumina Foundation – Achieving the Dream
Strives to help people achieve their potential through expanding access and success in education beyond high school.Workforce Alliance's "Notes from the Field" newsletter
Highlights innovative approaches used by local job training and education stakeholders throughout the country to advocate for workforce development policies that will build needed skills in their communities.Toolkits
Career Pathways
Career Pathways is an integrated series of education and training programs and support services that prepare high school students and/or working adults for specific industry sectors, fields and occupations of importance to local economies. This toolkit describes the framework Career Pathways provides for aligning those systems to help low-skill, low-wage individuals advance their education and careers.Community College Finance
This toolkit is designed to help state leaders develop financing models that recognize the unique and increasingly vital role of community colleges in enlarging education, training and learning opportunities for young people and adults of all backgrounds and circumstances.Toolkit-related Webinars
To publicize the toolkits' launch, Douglas Gould and Company held Web seminars, or Webinars, to inform users of the toolkits and their relevance. Participants included the toolkit authors and a practitioner or expert on the subject. You can listen to the audio versions of the toolkits at www.communitycollegecentral.org.
Reference Books and Articles
While the Community College Central Web site and others linked to it provide a wealth of resources, this brief list highlights some key resources we believe reflect the mission of this toolkit.
Keeping America's Promise This report is a joint project of the League for Innovation in the Community College and the Education Commission of the States. It articulates serious challenges that face America’s community colleges that need to be addressed at the campus level and through state and federal policy changes.
Defending the Community College Equity Agenda, edited by Dr. Thomas Bailey and Dr. Vanessa Smith Morest of Community College Research Center, Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 2006.
At 2-Year Colleges, Students Eager but Unready By Diana Jean Schemo, The New York Times (September 2, 2006)
The article discusses the gap between high school and college education. While most American students aspire to go to college, many are unprepared and require remedial courses to catch up.Panel’s Report Urges Higher Education Shake-Up By Sam Dillon, The New York Times (August 11, 2006)
The Commission on the Future of Education approved a report that called for public universities to measure learning with standardized tests, federal monitoring of college quality and sweeping changes in financial aid.Educational Equity and the Transfer Student By Joshua Wyner, The Chronicle for Higher Education (February 10, 2006)
This is a premium article. You must login to read it. It gives the beginning few paragraphs. Education at a four-year institution is often unobtainable for low-income and community college transfer students, though evidence shows these students are highly capable and qualified to attend four-year institutions.Panel Explores Standard Tests for Colleges By Karen W. Arenson, The New York Times (February 9, 2006)
The Commission on the Future of Higher Education examines whether standardized testing should be expanded into universities and colleges to prove that students are learning and to allow easier comparisons on quality.America's Learning Deficit by Henry Levin, Columbia University, Nigel Homes, graphic designer, The New York Times (November 6, 2005)
This illustration measures the cost of a bad education versus the savings of a good education by the numbers.The Workhorse of Higher Education: Laurels for the often-overlooked community college By Jay Mathews, Washington Post.com, (August 7, 2005)
This article praises community colleges as an affordable option to higher education success.Workforce Alliance, Notes from the Field: Snapshots of Workforce Advocacy at the Grassroots (Summer 2005)
This edition of the Workforce Alliance's newsletter spotlights Kirkwood Community College's campaign for securing adequate funds for Iowa's community college system.Community Colleges Seek Their Share, The Chronicle of Higher Education (April 15, 2005) discusses the funding crunch states face supporting their local community colleges. This is a premium article. You must login to read it. It gives the beginning few paragraphs.
Community colleges in states like Pennsylvania see a fall in state funding that has forced them to raise tuition.Reality weighs down dreams of college, USA Today (February 2, 2005) quotes Kay McClenney of the College Leadership Program at the University of Texas and the Ford Foundation's Bridges to Opportunity Initiative team.
While more students are being encouraged to attend college, some students are unprepared. Research shows low-income and minority students often do not receive the academic tools they need to succeed in college.Authors' Biographies
This toolkit was written, designed and produced by Douglas Gould and Company, the communications partner and technical support provider for the Bridges Initiative. Strategic direction for the Bridges Initiative is provided by the Community College Leadership Program at The University of Texas at Austin. The evaluation team is the Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University.Douglas Gould and Company
University of Texas Community College Leadership Program
Community College Research Center