A series of six briefs, known as the Rural Community College Leader Series, were created from conversations that emerged from NCII’s learning community. The briefs are short and action-oriented, covering topics like maintaining financial stability, redesigning advising and support services and cultivating partnerships.
Building the Capacity of Rural Postsecondary Providers Through Community
Building off momentum from an earlier Ascendium grant, the National Center for Inquiry and Improvement (NCII) made strides this year in developing and delivering a regionalized approach to guided pathways focused specifically on rural institutions. Large-scale educational reform efforts have historically included more urban and suburban institutions than rural ones, resulting in few opportunities to adapt and evaluate those reforms in rural contexts.
NCII’s approach is unique with its focus on rural. It’s also distinctive in that the implementation of this education reform not only centers community colleges, but also employers, K-12 and university partners as core members of the implementation team.
Additionally, Ascendium grant funding supported NCII in convening a group of college leaders who created helpful resources and tools for rural community colleges as they navigated challenges from the COVID-19 health crisis. Leaders continue to engage on the topics highlighted in these briefs, especially the final brief in the series.
Reiterated in this final brief is the need for partners in rural communities to develop strong relationships with stakeholders. The brief also underscores the use of data, especially local labor market information, to support and guide conversations about the needs of employers and the pathways to good jobs that are available through postsecondary education and workforce training.
We understand that rural institutions face unique challenges compared to their urban and suburban peers, but we also know they possess unique assets that help them create opportunity for learners. Our investments in efforts like the learning communities convened by NCII leverage those assets and help build the capacity of rural institutions to support learners through postsecondary education and entry into the workforce.