The California Guided Pathway Project is designed to substantially increase the number of students who earn a certificate or degree at a California Community College. The project will help California Community Colleges implement an integrated, institution-wide approach to student success by creating structured educational experiences that support each student from point of entry to attainment of high-quality postsecondary credentials and careers.
What are Guided Pathways?
Guided pathways reform is a student-centered approach that can dramatically increase the number of students earning community college credentials, while closing equity gaps. Rather than work with a subset of students, guided pathways are a college-wide undertaking that provides a framework for integrating California-based initiatives such as SSSP, Equity, Basic Skills Transformation, the Strong Workforce Program, and California College Promise. The California Guided Pathways project was modeled from the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) Pathways Project and adapted for implementation in California. The model helps colleges clarify paths to student end goals, helps student select and stay on path, and ensure quality learning.
College Participation
Between 15-20 California Community Colleges will be selected for the project using a competitive process including a written application, readiness assessment, and participation agreement. Colleges will participate in six two-day institutes, which will focus on key elements required to implement a fully-scaled pathway model which serves all students at a community college, plus receive support on the change process from expert coaches.
The application period is now closed. Interested colleges can find more information on the program website >
Project Partners
The project is lead by a broad base of stakeholders and funded through generous support by College Futures Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The James Irvine Foundation, and the Teagle Foundation, in addition to fees paid by participating colleges.