Becoming a Student-Ready College

Boost student success by reversing your perspective on college readiness The national conversation asking "e;Are students college-ready?"e; concentrates on numerous factors that are beyond higher education's control. Becoming a Student-Ready College flips the college readiness conversation to provide a new perspective on creating institutional value and facilitating student success. Instead of focusing on student preparedness for college (or lack thereof), this book asks the more pragmatic question of what are colleges and universities doing to prepare for the students who are entering their institutions? What must change in an institution's policies, practices, and culture in order to be student-ready? Clear and concise, this book is packed with insightful discussion and practical strategies for achieving your ambitious student success goals. These ideas for redesigning practices and policies provide more than food for thought they offer a real-world framework for real institutional change. You'll learn: How educators can acknowledge their own biases and assumptions about underserved students in order to allow for change New ways to advance student learning and success How to develop and value student assets and social capital Strategies and approaches for creating a new student-focused culture of leadership at every level To truly become student-ready, educators must make difficult decisions, face the pressures of accountability, and address their preconceived notions about student success head-on. Becoming a Student-Ready College provides a reality check based on today's higher education environment.

Boost student success by reversing your perspective on college readinessThe national conversation asking "Are students college-ready?" concentrates on numerous factors that are beyond higher education's control. Becoming a Student-Ready College flips the college readiness conversation to provide a new perspective on creating institutional value and facilitating student success. Instead of focusing on student preparedness for college (or lack thereof), this book asks the more pragmatic question of what are colleges and universities doing to prepare for the students who are entering their institutions? What must change in an institution's policies, practices, and culture in order to be student-ready?Clear and concise, this book is packed with insightful discussion and practical strategies for achieving your ambitious student success goals. These ideas for redesigning practices and policies provide more than food for thought--they offer a real-world framework for real institutional change. You'll learn:* How educators can acknowledge their own biases and assumptions about underserved students in order to allow for change* New ways to advance student learning and success* How to develop and value student assets and social capital* Strategies and approaches for creating a new student-focused culture of leadership at every levelTo truly become student-ready, educators must make difficult decisions, face the pressures of accountability, and address their preconceived notions about student success head-on. Becoming a Student-Ready College provides a reality check based on today's higher education environment.

Preface xiAbout the Authors xiiiAbout AAC&U xviiAcknowledgments xixChapter One: In Search of the Student-Ready College 1A New Concept: Student-Ready Colleges 8The Quest for College-Ready Students: A Historical Perspective 9A Profile of the 21st-Century Student 14Serving Students? Responding to Markets? Competing Tensions in Higher Education 21The Path Forward: Taking Steps to Transformation 24Chapter Two: Leadership Values and Organizational Culture 25Perspective Taking 29New Directions for Leadership 31Changing Perspective on Educators 35Does Collaboration Serve a Greater Good or Is It an End in Itself? 36Collaborative Leadership for Grassroots Empowerment 38Every Employee an Educator 39Inclusive Professional Development 40Exemplary Practice:The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater 41Exemplary Practice: California State University, Fullerton 43Positive Vision of Educators 44Building Out the Change Effort 46Considering Whole-Person Educators 47Student-Ready Mentoring 48The Will to Apply and Practice What Works 49Student-Ready Practice of Governance 51Exemplary Practice: Alverno College 53Beyond Change as a Motivator in Itself 56A Pragmatic Approach to Shared Governance 58A Vision of a Place Ready for Students 60Conclusion: A Vision to Guide Collaboration 69Chapter Three: Making Excellence Inclusive to Support Student Success 71Making Excellence Inclusive 77Removing Systemic Barriers and Challenges for Students 77A Caring Educator 80Embracing a Paradigm Shift 82A Culture of Inclusion 87Defining Student Success as Learning 89Promoting Excellence in Student Engagement 91Charting Your Course of Action 95Conclusion 96Chapter Four: Building Student Readiness through Effective Partnerships 97Engaging the Ecosystem 102A New Survival Instinct:The Opportunistic Self-Awareness of Student-Ready Colleges 106The Many Faces of Partnership 112Student-Centered Symbiosis in Support of Today's College Students 118Selecting Effective Partners 124Questions to Ask as You Consider Partnerships to Support Student Success 127Conclusion 128Chapter Five: Demonstrating Belief in Students 129Belief in Student Capacity to Learn as a Genuine and Public Commitment 134Challenges to Belief in Student Capacity to Learn 139A Learning-Centered Campus Designed for AllStudents to Flourish 150Conclusion 154Conclusion 155References 161Index 179