Commissioner Freeland recently presented the first  Vision Project report, an initiative focused on making Massachusetts a national leader in public education. The report looks at how public higher education in Massachusetts stacks up to other states and lays out specific strategies and goals to boost our performance. Interestingly, Gateway Cities are pioneering many of the strategies highlighted in the report.  Here’s a breakdown following the Vision Project’s five high-level outcomes:

Outcome 1: College Participation

Strategy: Ensure that “college-bound” Means “College-Ready”
Expose students to college-level work while still in high school
• Worcester University – dual enrollment for HS students (STEM and English composition)

Align High school and higher education assessments
• Worcester Public Schools partnership with Quinsigamond Community College – helps high school students with math

Strategy: Eliminate gaps in college participation by low-income students
Invest in pre-college support and preparation programs
• Gear Up – gives low-income middle and high school students early intervention program (mentoring, tutoring, counseling, after school and summer programs)
o Boston, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lowell, New Bedford, Springfield, Worcester

Strategy: Safeguard affordability
Maximize financial aid
• College access challenge grant – Greenfield, Holyoke, and Springfield Technical Community Colleges – helps students by providing information on financial aid

Outcome 2: College Completion

Strategy: Remove barriers that slow students’ progress toward graduation
Transform remedial education
• Middlesex Community College (Lowell) – concurrent enrollment program to support students who score below college readiness level in English
• Worcester State University – mandatory ACCUPLACER pre-tests helps with readiness for college-level math courses

Strategy: Close achievement gaps in college success through programs for high-risk students
Use multicultural outreach and mentoring to aid students and families
• Middlesex Community College (Lowell) – Multicultural Achievement Peer Program
• Worcester State University – Latino Education Institute

Strategy: Develop high-impact policies based on research and evidence
Craft targeted interventions based on analyses of student success
• Springfield Technical, Northern Essex Community College (Haverhill, Lawrence) – part of Achieving the Dream initiative
o Northern Essex Community College – academic support goals after analysis of student results
o Springfield Technical Community College – increased academic advisors to general studies students

Implement research-supported strategies for students most at risk of dropping out
• Fitchburg State University – pilot program of intrusive advising – preventing students from dropping out

Outcome 3: Student Learning

Strategy: Find ways to compare student learning among states
Use common scoring standards that enable comparisons across campuses
• Massasoit Community Colleges (Brockton)

Test assessment models that can scale to other colleges and universities
• Holyoke Community College – expand work integrating quantitative reasoning assessment and instruction into courses
• Fitchburg State University, Umass Lowell, Middlesex Community College (Lowell)

Outcome 4: Workforce Alignment

Strategy: Address workforce development needs in high-growth sectors
Develop Industry-specific, statewide workforce development plans for key sectors
• Springfield Technical Community College – joint nursing track with UMass Amherst

Design programs to meet the needs of adult learners
• Salem State University – tailors programs to working healthcare professionals
• Bristol Community College (Fall River, New Bedford) – professional advancement to health and human services careers

Strategy: Strengthen student interest, learning and completion of programs in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields
Identify successful programs and bring them to scale
• Massasoit Community College (Brockton) – Science Transfer Initiative

Strategy: Reduce gaps in STEM for African-American, Latino, and female students
Target Stem Outreach to underserved groups
• North Shore Community College (Lynn) – Bridges to the STARS program

Strategy: Developing work in preparing citizens
Community Engagement Classification from Carnegie Foundation for Advancement of Teaching
• Bristol Community College(Fall River, New Bedford)
• North Shore Community College (Lynn)
• UMass Dartmouth (New Bedford) – Presidents’ 2012 Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll
• UMass Lowell
• UMass Worcester

Bridging Cultures Projects of the Association of American Colleges and Universities
• Middlesex Community College (Lowell)