Understanding the factors that influence a community college governing board to increase its engagement in accountability for student success was the purpose of this grounded theory case study. A further aim was to develop a model that described how these factors interact. A highly engaged community college governing board, as defined by a focus, perspective, infrastructure, and behavior that identified student success as a priority, was selected and studied to learn what were the principle influences on their engagement in student success. Eight factors were identified initially that influenced the governing board’s interest in student success: Board Characteristics, Changing External Context, Achieving the Dream, Board Roles and Responsibilities, Board Culture, College Role and Purpose, Changing Internal Context, and Student Success. Another factor, Administrative Leadership, also influenced the governing board’s engagement and was added to the final model. Two models emerged from the data: a six factor model that describes how a board becomes engaged in student success and a model incorporating all eight influences that describes governing with a student success agenda already in place. Key findings included the importance of an external emphasis on improving student outcomes at the state and national level; the need for board education on their fiduciary responsibility for ensuring academic quality; and the value of an outside change agent. In this case study, Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count, served as the catalyst for change in the governing board’s engagement in student success. The Achieving the Dream Board of Trustees Institute, which educated board members about their roles and responsibilities related to student success, shifted board members’ perspectives and understanding and began the board’s interest in governing with student success as a priority. / text

Achieving the Dream is a national initiative focused on helping more community college students succeed, particularly students of color and low-income students. Achieving the Dream’s student-centered model of institutional improvement focuses on eliminating gaps and raising student achievement by helping institutions build a culture of evidence through institutional transformation. This interpretive case study employed a mixed methods approach and utilized a sequential explanatory strategy to gather detailed information related to the research questions. The study examined, from an insider’s perspective, the progress made by an Achieving the Dream college in implementing practices that reflect the principles of the Achieving the Dream model of institutional improvement. The four principles of the model are: committed leadership, use of evidence to improve programs and services, broad engagement, and systemic institutional improvement. The study was conducted in two phases and involved a quantitative survey of all college employees and semi- structured, individual interviews with members of the college’s Achieving the Dream team. The quantitative and qualitative data were given equal weighting in the study and were integrated to the extent that the qualitative data collected provided supportive insights into the findings derived from the quantitative analysis. This study found the college made progress in implementing the practices reflected by the Achieving the Dream model. The study findings also provide insights into underlying factors that existed at the college related to its implementation of the initiative. The findings will supplement current knowledge about the efficacy of change models designed to help community colleges build a student-centered model of institutional improvement and the knowledge gained should not only benefit the college, but also provide useful information to other institutions involved in this initiative. / text