Explorer Cafe Spring 2019: Mar. 20

"The data show that basic needs insecurities disproportionately
affect marginalized students and are associated with long work
hours and higher risk of unemployment. However, the level of
academic effort – in and outside the classroom—is the same
regardless of whether or not students are dealing with food and
housing insecurity. It is therefore critically important to match their
commitments with supports to ensure degree completion."

The #RealCollege survey is the nation’s largest annual
assessment of basic needs security among college
students. The survey, which specifically evaluates
access to afordable food and housing, began in 2015
under the Wisconsin HOPE Lab. This report describes
the results of the #RealCollege survey administered at
nearly half of the schools in the California Community
College system in the fall of 2016 and 2018.

This report is an in-depth case study of the No Excuses Poverty Initiative at
Amarillo College (AC), a midsize community college in the Texas Panhandle.
Nearly a decade ago, AC’s leadership initiated a reflective and intentional series
of steps to help alleviate the conditions of poverty affecting their students and
promote the chances those students complete their degrees. The college has
received widespread press and recognition for its work. This case study is the first
intensive, evidence-based examination of that initiative, its key components, and
its impact on student success.