We surveyed community colleges participating in the Advancing Community Equity and Upward Mobility (ACE-UP) Community of Practice to gain a better understanding of college goals and strategies for advancing equity, including partner involvement, engagement with employers, data and metrics, and factors helping or hindering progress toward equity goals. Lessons from this brief can inform staff and leaders from other colleges implementing strategies to improve academic and employment outcomes for historically marginalized students.

Colleges implemented strategies aligned with their identified goals for advancing equity that focused on enhancing student services, leveraging institutional leadership support, and partnering with internal college offices and external organizations in the community. Colleges also reported employers acting as champions for equity goals, sharing or reviewing data with colleges to inform data-driven decisionmaking, and contributing staff time to support institutional equity efforts. Challenges to realizing equity goals included limited access to workforce data on postgraduation outcomes, staff turnover, shifting institutional policies, and financial barriers for students.

A final survey will be conducted in spring 2025 to collect information from ACE-UP colleges on lessons learned throughout the community of practice.