Eleven institutions of higher education are joining an Education Trust-led initiative meant to improve graduation rates for underrepresented minority students, the Education Trust announced Thursday.
The purpose of the initiative — called OASIS, an acronym for Optimizing Academic Success and Institutional Strategy — is meant to improve graduation rates for minority students.
The six-year graduation rates for White students are more than 20 points greater than for African American students and 11 points greater than for Latino students, according to the Education Trust — a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that focuses on improving educational outcomes for low-income and minority students.
“To help more students achieve their educational dreams, colleges must transform their practices to better serve their students,” said Bonita J. Brown, director of higher education practice at Ed Trust.
“The OASIS institutions are tackling that challenge head on,” Brown said.
Senior leaders from schools in the OASIS network will collaborate to explore best practices in student success in areas that range from student advising to developmental math interventions and using data to improve outcomes. A longer-range goal is to share their experiences and lessons learned with the higher education community.
