Exploring the Experiences and Outcomes of English Learners in Community College

Purpose: This study will explore how community college institutional policies and practices influence outcomes of postsecondary English learner (EL) students. EL students are a large and growing segment of the postsecondary student population, yet research on their experiences is sparse, especially at the community college level. Institutions struggle with how to identify this population or choose the policies and practices that might support them. The current study will focus on the institution- and program-level malleable factors, such as enrollment policies or student support services, that may influence EL students' outcomes. Such work will help inform theories that may lead to the development of interventions for community college EL students.