Kris Palmer, a senior director at Career Ladders Project, presented on Guided Pathways at the 97th annual American Association of Community Colleges convention in New Orleans on April 23.
Kris presented on “Collaborative Inquiry and Leadership: Necessary Foundation for Building Guided Pathways” with Angelica Garcia and Aaron McVean from Skyline College in California and Carmen Newland from Mesa Community College in Arizona.
Kris expounded upon a growing body of research that states that without fundamental changes to current college structures, dramatic increases in completion are not possible.
Angelica, Aaron, and Carmen shared their work in creating campus cultures that support such redesign efforts. The team provided examples of how inquiry processes and data visualization tools can be used to create a shared understanding of key structural barriers to students’ paths to completion and help mobilize change.
The AACC Convention is among the largest and most dynamic gatherings of educational leaders, attracting over 2,000 community college presidents and senior administrators, as well as international educators, representatives of business and industry, and federal agencies.