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PILOT PROGRAM ENGAGEMENT HIGHLIGHTS
Students Surveyed for Program Adaptation
Pilot Program Participants
Pilot Campuses
THE OPPORTUNITY
California's community colleges serve as a critical gateway to higher education for millions of students—many of whom are navigating college as the first in their families, managing significant financial pressures, or coming from communities that have been historically underserved by higher education systems. The transition into college can be especially challenging. In these new environments, students are more likely to ask, “Can I belong here?” And when everyday struggles (e.g., receiving critical feedback, feeling socially excluded, or finding coursework difficult) arise, students may interpret these struggles as signs they don't truly belong. Decades of research show that a strong sense of belonging—feeling accepted, valued, and included—is essential to college students’ well-being, engagement, and academic success. Conversely, when belonging is in doubt, this “belonging uncertainty” can erode confidence, motivation, and engagement, contributing to persistent inequities in who succeeds and who doesn't. When students belong to groups that are negatively stereotyped, underrepresented, or underserved in higher education, they’re particularly likely to experience uncertainty about belonging (see our work on The Student Experience Project).
The California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office recognized that supporting student success required an approach grounded in evidence that could reach students at scale while addressing the psychological barriers that disproportionately impact those from structurally disadvantaged groups*. Their goal was clear: to promote equity and improve academic persistence and performance by enhancing students' psychological experiences, particularly for racially/ethnically minoritized students, first-generation college students, and those experiencing high financial stress.
OUR PARTNERSHIP
The Chancellor's Office partnered with the Equity Accelerator (EA) to adapt, implement, and rigorously evaluate our evidence-based belonging program for the two-year college context. As part of this partnership, we also created targeted resources for administrators and faculty to help them create and sustain cultures of belonging across their campuses.
Our belonging program was originally developed for four-year colleges and proven to promote resilience, inclusion, and improved GPAs—especially among students from structurally disadvantaged groups. The program features carefully crafted stories from diverse, more experienced peers who share their struggles and how they overcame them. These narratives normalize common feelings and experiences for students, helping them to see their own challenges as part of a temporary adjustment process, as opposed to a sign that they don’t belong in college. As part of the program, students complete a “saying-is-believing” exercise that reinforces the learning and empowers students to support future peers.
While the program has proven effective in four-year institutions, its potential use in two-year spaces had yet to be explored. But first, given that the community college experience is distinct, we knew that students' voices needed to guide our work.
The Pilot Program
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- Adaptation: Conducted a large-scale survey of 2,221 students and six focus groups across six pilot California community college campuses to tailor the program to the unique needs of community college students
- Implementation: Partnered with institutional leaders at our six pilot campuses to test the adapted program. 1,160 students were randomly assigned to the belonging or a control program; almost two-thirds identified with one or more structurally disadvantaged groups
- Evaluation: Explored the impact of the belonging program by comparing outcomes for students in the belonging vs. control program using a follow-up survey and institutional data
THE IMPACT
Key Findings
Evaluation of the belonging program (relative to a control program that did not convey messages about belonging) showed the belonging program meaningfully improved student persistence and experiences, and helped close key equity gaps, in the following areas:
- Persistence Gains and Closing the Persistence Gap: Students who participated in the belonging program were more likely to persist and return to college the next term. The program also reduced the equity gap in persistence by 57% for financially stressed students compared to their less financially stressed peers.
- GPA Gains that Narrowed Academic Achievement Gaps: Financially stressed students and Black/African American students saw improved GPAs as a result of the belonging program. These gains narrowed GPA gaps with their less financially stressed and non-Black/African American peers by 39% and 52%, respectively.
- Gains for the Most Worried Students: For students who entered college with the highest levels of worry about whether instructors would believe in their ability to succeed, those who participated in the belonging program had GPAs 0.45 points higher compared to their peers in the control program. In other words, for the students who were initially the most worried, the belonging program prevented reduced academic performance.
- Greater Student Wellbeing: Beyond grades and persistence, the program improved how students experienced their college journey. First-generation college students, financially stressed students, and racially minoritized students who completed the belonging program reported lower identity-related concerns and better health outcomes at the end of the term. These gains reduced wellbeing equity gaps by 49% to 100% across different measures.
- Improvements in Campus Culture Perceptions: Students who completed the belonging program were more likely to perceive others at their college as holding growth-minded beliefs about students.
Overall, the program’s effectiveness is clear: adapting our proven belonging program to the two-year college context led to measurable gains in persistence, performance, and wellbeing—while narrowing equity gaps across race, socioeconomic status, and first-generation status.
In order to support the Chancellor’s Office’s institutional commitment to building cultures of belonging across their system, EA provided the following resources to help them scale the program:
- A Culture of Belonging Guide that introduces administrators and faculty to evidence-based strategies for fostering belonging at institutional and instructional levels
- Discussion Group Protocols tailored for both faculty and administrators to facilitate meaningful conversations about belonging within their communities
- Access to EA’s Classroom Practices Library, a free, publicly available collection of evidence-based resources that instructors can integrate into their teaching
These practical tools equip campus leaders to drive systemic change—embedding belonging into the norms, policies, and practices that shape student experiences every day, with the potential to transform outcomes for millions of California community college students. In Fall 2025, EA collaborated with the six pilot campuses and an additional cohort of campuses in the California Community Colleges system to scale the belonging program, bringing its proven supports to 1,876 more students.
This partnership demonstrates that targeted, equity-focused programs can meaningfully improve outcomes for students who face the greatest barriers to success. When we help students reframe challenges and uncertainty as a normal part of the college transition rather than evidence they don't belong, we unlock their ability to engage more fully in the academic and social life of college. And when we pair these individual supports with institutional commitment to creating cultures of belonging and growth, we build learning environments where all students can thrive.
My first year I felt like, 'Why am I here? I’m too stupid to be here or go to college. Other students are smarter than I am.' This story resonates with me because I had the same mindset. And just being able to know that other students feel the same way I do, but are just too scared to reach out to each other and share our feelings.
When I read, ‘everyone seemed so sure that it was the right place for them,’ it hit me hard. I definitely relate to the whole story but that line specifically touched on emotions that I too had strongly. I think this is a very realistic story of what it does feel like to start something new and be a part of a college with so many people.
*We use the term structurally disadvantaged throughout this report to refer to first-generation college students, financially stressed students, and students from racial and ethnic groups who experience disproportionate obstacles in their education pursuits as a result of structural and systemic barriers to access and opportunities in higher education that undermine representation, academic retention, and achievement for students who, absent an oppressive culture, can thrive.
More About Our Work
Check out our other case studies to learn more about our partnership with California Community Colleges.
How Can We Help?
Interested in bringing programs like this to your institution? Let’s connect!