Keeping Our Engaged, At-Risk Kids in College

The 2005 "Community College Survey of Student Engagement," entitled "Engaging Students, Challenging the Odds" reflects responses from 133,281 students attending 257 colleges in 38 states. It gathers objective and relevant data about students' experiences at their colleges and presents this data to community colleges so they can better understand how effectively they are engaging their students and identify areas for improvement. The CCSSE focuses on high-risk students and provides a detailed look at a number of the high-risk categories. These high risk categories include academically underprepared students, students of color, first-generation students, students who are 25 years of age or older, and part-time students. Overall, the survey found that when there are differences in engagement between low-and high-risk students, the students who are typically described as high-risk are more engaged in the college experience than their peers. This report summarizes other important findings of the CCSSE, and discusses their implications for community colleges.