The Texas Success Center Knowledge Development Steering Committee Meeting’s presentation cited CTN’s Ascender Program as a way to fulfill the mission of the Pathways Project particularly in Pillar 4: Ensuring that Students Are Learning. This is done in part by the college ensuring “that underrepresented students participate in program-relevant active and experiential learning opportunities.” The committee used CTN’s Austin Community College, Alamo Colleges and South Texas College as examples stating that they are “member colleges of the award-winning Catch the Next Ascender program which is a first-year experience program for community college students created to ensure college readiness toward completion and transfer through sustainable culturally relevant pedagogy, navigational support and student engagement.”      

“The educators, researchers, practitioners, and advocates who comprise the knowledge development steering committee contribute to a statewide Knowledge Development Agenda aimed to improve community college practice and to inform policy benefiting colleges’ pathways reform strategies. These esteemed partners advise the overall knowledge development strategy. The Texas Success Center directs and implements the strategy while providing opportunity for committee members to contribute to or collaborate on commissioned new knowledge development activities.

The Knowledge Development Agenda is organized to examine the college and student experience within the comprehensive Texas Pathways framework. An examination of equity within the college implementation and student experience of Texas Pathways will be a theme throughout each project.” (https://tacc.org/tsc/knowledge-development-steering-committee)

“The Texas Success Center supports the 50 community college districts in Texas. The Success Center’s current strategic plan, Texas Pathways, will grow through 2022, allowing community colleges to design and implement structured academic and career pathways for all students.

Texas Pathways is a comprehensive, statewide five-year strategy to build capacity for Texas community colleges to implement structured academic and career pathways at scale. Grounded in research and based on the American Association of Community Colleges’ Pathways Project, Texas Pathways is an integrated, system-wide approach to student success that guides students from the selection of their high school endorsement through postsecondary education to attainment of high-quality credentials and careers with value in the labor market. Through Texas Pathways, colleges clarify paths to student end goals, help students choose and enter a pathway, help students stay on their pathway, and ensure students are learning.” (https://tacc.org/tsc/texas-pathways)