Southern Nevada, Metro Milwaukee and the Inland Empire in California selected as initial project sites for initiative 

Complete College America (CCA) today announced the launch of a new Metro Momentum Pathways initiative focused on removing structural barriers to student success and dramatically increasing degree attainment in metropolitan areas. The project focuses on metro areas, and partners with institutions impacting at least 100,000 students, due to the immense opportunity in these densely populated hubs and the outsized impact in improving social mobility and ensuring more equitable outcomes through higher education.

CCA selected Southern Nevada, the Metro Milwaukee region – seven counties in southeastern Wisconsin known collectively as M7 – and the Inland Empire region in southern California as the three initial sites for the Metro Momentum Pathways Project. The effort is supported by ECMC Foundation.

The Metro Momentum Pathways effort leverages CCA’s Game Changers, data-driven interventions designed to restructure systems, to improve student outcomes and eliminate achievement gaps. Recognizing the synergy among these strategies, CCA developed the Momentum Pathways model, laying out the optimal path for implementation for generating student momentum toward a postsecondary credential through increased early credit accumulation, gateway course completion and completion of credits in a program of study.

The Metro Momentum Pathways Project creates a three-year implementation timeline and includes significant structured implementation support from CCA staff and nationally recognized content experts. Additionally, Metro Momentum Pathways sites will engage community partners to explore social supports that address non-educational barriers that often hinder persistence, including transportation, childcare and food insecurity.

“Increasing postsecondary attainment is critical to community-based efforts that address the challenges of poverty and the lack of social mobility for many residents in America’s cities,” said CCA Senior Vice President Bruce Vandal. “Moreover, higher postsecondary attainment rates contribute to the economic strength of communities and the overall quality of life for residents.”

“More than 65 percent of jobs in the near future require a college credential or degree,” said ECMC Foundation President Peter Taylor. “Therefore, it is more critical than ever to support initiatives like the Metro Momentum Pathway, which will focus on removing barriers to student persistence and success.”