Independent Evaluation Confirms Impact of CAEL Latino and Adult Student Success Academy

Latest cohort sees increases in enrollment, greater participation in CPL, advising and coaching programs  

INDIANAPOLIS – Following the recent conclusion of CAEL’s second Latino and Adult Student Success (LASS) Academy, CAEL has released Latino and Adult Student Success Academy 2022-2024: Diving Deeper on Institutional Change for Measurable Impact, a report produced in collaboration with the project’s independent evaluator, Ithaka S+R. The Academy cohort consisted of Austin Community College (ACC), South Texas College (STC), Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC), and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). 

The report describes how the four Texas-based Hispanic-Serving Institutions used the Academy framework to establish and meet key metrics for recruiting and/or supporting adult learners at their institutions during the two-year initiative. Their strategies and objectives included: increasing enrollment through targeted marketing and recruitment; improving retention through advising and personalized coaching; and accelerating degree completion by expanding and improving opportunities for credit for prior learning. 

The report also summarizes findings from an independent, mixed-methods evaluation of the Academy conducted by Ithaka S+R, a not-for-profit organization that researches, evaluates, and provides strategic guidance in higher education.

CAEL established the latest LASS Academy in October 2022 with support from Greater Texas Foundation and Strada Education Foundation. The Academy’s focus on support for adult learners aligns closely with objectives of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s Building a Talent Strong Texas plan, which includes a commitment to improving the postsecondary outcomes for adult learners. 

“The Academy and the collaborative synergies that define it have been instrumental in scaling our ability to impact student success on a systemic level,” said Earl Buford, CAEL president. “Texas, like many states, is prioritizing greater educational attainment for adult learners, and I thank the institutions, our funders, and our program partners for advancing the Academy’s potential for enhancing institutional capacity for serving adult learners.”

The evaluation captured the impact of each participating institution’s efforts within one or more adult-learner-focused strategies. STC reported enrollment increases among adult and Latino adult learners, with application and admissions growth exceeding targets by more than 100 percent. Adult learner participation in advising and coaching grew substantially at both UTRGV and TAMU-CC. Credit for prior learning (CPL) awarded at ACC increased 32 percent among adult learners and 52 percent among Latino adult learners.

In addition to highlighting the institutions’ successes, the report describes the collaboration and peer connections that are at the core of the Academy methodology. Detailing the challenges and opportunities the institutions encountered and their responses, the findings can inform policies and practices relevant to adult- and Hispanic-serving institutions throughout the country.

Additional lessons and insights from the evaluation include:

• Data helps build a business case for developing an intentional strategy for targeting and supporting adult learners. 
• Institutions value opportunities to learn from each other.
• Raising program awareness is a critical step for supporting adult learners.
• Adult learners themselves provide important feedback on institutional improvements.
• Adult learners are an important source of data on how to better support them.
• Making a real impact takes time.

CAEL, with technical assistance from partner organizations InsideTrack, CollegeAPP, and Excelencia in Education, led the Academy. Activities included the administration of CAEL’s Adult Learner 360 diagnostic surveys, virtual and in-person convenings, ongoing identification and tracking of impact metrics tied to targeted outcomes, and technical assistance related to student recruitment, coaching, and credit for prior learning. CAEL designed the activities to build on the momentum resulting from the institutions’ work during CAEL’s inaugural LASS Academy, which ran from 2018 to 2021. 

CAEL’s Academy model is a collaborative process that combines proprietary benchmarking and other data analysis, technical assistance, and peer-to-peer learning to support the innovation of new strategies for supporting adult learners and other traditionally underserved students. Institutions choose to allocate Academy resources toward one or more focus areas, such as awarding CPL to adult students to accelerate degree completion, driving adult enrollment, and improving retention of adult students through personalized coaching. Additional details about both Academies are available at cael.org. For more information about this work, please contact Rafael Pasillas at rpasillas@cael.org. 

About CAEL
Recognizing that adult learners are the backbone of the U.S. economy, CAEL helps forge a clear, viable connection between education and career success, providing solutions that promote sustainable and equitable economic growth. CAEL opens doors to opportunity in collaboration with workforce and economic developers, postsecondary educators, employers and industry groups, and foundations and other mission-aligned organizations. By engaging with these stakeholders, CAEL fosters a culture of innovative, lifelong learning that helps individuals, and their communities thrive. A national membership organization established in 1974, CAEL is a part of Strada Collaborative, a mission-driven nonprofit. Learn more at cael.org and stradacollaborative.org.

###