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The Office of Community College Research and Leadership is a research office at The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the College of Education. OCCRL was founded in 1989 by Debra Bragg. The Office of Community College Research and Leadership has received funding from a number of sources, at state and federal levels from public and private organizations to improving P-20 education and the workforce. Major grants from the Illinois Community College Board, the Lumina Foundation for Education, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The Illinois Board of Higher Education, the Illinois State Board of Education, The Joyce Foundation, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).

In 2013, OCCRL opened a Chicago office at the Illini Center in downtown Chicago. OCCRL celebrates 25 years in 2014.

Research
The Office of Community College Research and Leadership researchers study policies, programs, and practices designed to enhance outcomes for diverse youth and adults who seek to transition to and through college to employment. OCCRL’s research spans the P-20 education continuum, with an intense focus on how community colleges impact education and employment outcomes for diverse learners. Results of OCCRL’s studies of pathways and programs of study, extending from high school to community colleges and universities and to employment, are disseminated nationally and internationally. Reports and materials are derived from new knowledge captured and disseminated through OCCRL’s website, scholarly publications, and other vehicles.

OCCRL accomplishes this goal through research and development (R&D) projects in the following three areas.

Pathways and Programs of Study OCCRL conducts studies of policies, programs and practices associated with academic and career pathways and programs of study that are designed to enhance student transition to college and careers. Related OCCRL projects:

Community College Transformative Change Illinois State Board of Education High School Programs of Study Pathways Resource Center (PRC) Pathways to Results (PTR) Programs of Study Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College Career Training (TAACCCT) Evaluations Healthcare Professions Pathways (H2P) Consortium National Information, Security, and Geospatial Technology Consortium (NISGTC) College and Career Readiness OCCRL conducts evaluation studies of policies and programs designed to improve the college and career readiness of students at every level of education. These studies include federal policies designed to prepare students for employment. Related OCCRL projects:

Dual Credit College and Career Readiness Pilot Evaluation College and Career Readiness & STEM Education Adult Bridge Program Evaluation Transfer and College Completion OCCRL studies policies and practices designed to facilitate students’ progress to and through high-quality college degrees, as well as the outcomes associated with those credentials. Related OCCRL projects:

Applied Baccalaureate Degrees Applied Baccalaureate Degrees in STEM Education (NSF-ATE) The Adult Learner and the Applied Baccalaureate (Lumina Foundation) Credit When It’s Due (CWID) All or Nothing: Midpoint Credentials