Calbright has entered into partnerships with two sister California community colleges to test new research that improves support for students’ basic needs, including access to food and health care.
Research shows that many students who are doing well in classes still drop out of college because they’re facing significant life challenges, like homelessness, access to medical care or inability to buy food. So in July, Calbright announced it was conducting new research into helping students meet their basic needs outside of the classroom – getting them the stability they need in areas like housing, food, and basic financial assistance, so that they can keep their education on track.
Pilot programs developed through that research showed promising results: Significantly more students in the pilot programs disclosed that they needed support and scheduled meetings with Calbright staff who can guide them through the California programs designed to offer support to qualifying adults. This includes programs such as CalFresh, Medi-Cal, and CalWORKs, that help millions of eligible Californians receive support for themselves and their families.
Now Calbright will work with Barstow Community College and Los Angeles Trade Technical College (LATTC) to further test, develop, and expand that research.
“We are thrilled to embark on this innovative partnership with Calbright College, which brings together the expertise of behavioral science and design thinking to better understand and support our students,” said Dr. Eva Bagg Superintendent-President of Barstow Community College. “By working together, we aim to ensure that every student has the resources and guidance they need to overcome barriers, meet their basic needs, and achieve their educational and career aspirations. We appreciate Calbright’s collaboration and look forward to the positive change this work will bring to our community.
Marisa Bold, Calbright’s Vice President of Sustainable Growth and District Development, added that “The goal is to move the needle on outcomes for learners by leveraging data and behavioral science, with an initial focus on the Basic Needs research. We’re excited to work directly with sister colleges to learn together, share promising practices, and collaborate to accelerate the design of new and responsive approaches to support student success.”
While Calbright students are demographically very similar to California as a whole, its status as a statewide online community college district makes it distinct from traditional community colleges. Barstow is in a more rural area, while LATTC is an urban one, and so their student bodies will bring additional perspectives and needs that can help more eligible students across California access and retain public benefits.
“We are excited to partner with Barstow Community College and Los Angeles Trade Technical College to emphasize scalable pilots with transferable lessons learned, broader statewide impact, and collaborating with others earlier in the process so that we can learn together, test out new ideas in different contexts and combine capabilities,” Bold said.
Founded seven years ago, Calbright was charged by the state legislature to both serve adult Californians across the state and to conduct research on how to better serve non-traditional adult students in community colleges. This partnership, and the basic needs initiatives, are part of that research mission.
Other research from Calbright includes developing new approaches to work-based learning, education technology, academic interventions, student persistence, and Competency-Based Education.
