(A. Solano) Strategic plans don’t usually fail because they’re flawed. They fail because they’re ignored. After coaching nearly 60 colleges over 16 years, I’ve seen it over and over: institutions pour time and money into strategic plans, enrollment plans, equity plans, guided pathways workplans, and ed master plans—only to watch them gather dust. Why? Because the day-to-day grind takes over: politics, personnel drama, bureaucratic inertia, tech issues, grievance fatigue—you name it. Here’s what colleges need to do differently: -They revisit their plans annually, align them so the right ..read more

(A. Solano) As higher education faces external attacks, we must also confront self-inflicted wounds. I’ve never shied away from calling out unproductive practices—and I often pair that with practical resources. As a fierce defender of community colleges and broad-access institutions, it's time to sharpen our critical thinking even more. That said, countless college practitioners have experienced the negative impact of flawed research firsthand. That’s why I continue to urge practitioners: Do not take research about your sector at face value. Ask critical questions. -What is the exact methodolo ..read more

(A. Solano) Project 2025 is under way. Here’s what you have control over but first recognize that panic paralyzes. Resolve empowers. Power over panic. > Stay informed: Understand what’s truly happening. Legacy media thrives on chaos and cruelty—it turns out it's good for business. Seek independent, reliable sources. Avoid doomscrolling. Most importantly, thoroughly read your college’s communications for guidance and truth. > Teach truth: Keep critical thinking alive. Facts matter. They always have. > Be strategic: Alienating potential allies in the equity work has failed. Less theory ..read more

(A. Solano) It’s critical that educators understand the difference between “equity impact” and “equity intentionality” and why community colleges and broad access institutions need both approaches. Successful institutional equity initiatives are grounded in clarity—relentless clarity—and quality implementation. Consider the discourse surrounding a universal approach to student success. On one side of the divide, voices decry that working on an ‘all-students’ approach directly undermines racial equity. They posit, regardless of quality of implementation, that such a broad brush fails all studen ..read more

(A. Solano) Over the past four years, higher education has faced its share of challenges and has come through with some surprising and innovative changes. While much of this was driven by necessity during the pandemic, it’s important to step back and look at the bright spots. As we continue to work on improving, let’s also take a moment to appreciate the progress that’s been made. There’s a lot to be proud of, and it’s worth recognizing these achievements. Here are my observations, in no particular order. Increased Accessibility: From the use of alt text to a greater awareness of how to suppor ..read more

(A. Solano) 10 helpful websites to inform initiatives, grants, projects, change efforts, etc. 1. National Student Clearinghouse Research Center Data and insights about student enrollment, mobility, & completion. 2. Pew Research Center: Higher Education Polling, demographic research, content analysis and other data-driven social science research. 3. Columbia University's Community College Research Center Partners with community colleges to investigate the roots of educational inequity & identify promising approaches to institutional improvement. 4. UCLA Higher Ed Research Institute ..read more

(A. Solano) Failing to challenge false narratives only helps to perpetuate claims made without evidence. For example, a claim I’ve heard recently is that since eliminating the SAT/ACT, virtually all university freshmen are dropping out. This claim was made about universities in general, and they highlighted UCLA and UC Irvine, but then I checked the data. Another example is Dartmouth College’s recent laughable, but sad rationale to reinstate the SAT/ACT because their internal “research” shows they would effectively be more equitable for low-income students. Also, some community college ed ..read more

LISTEN TO THE EPISODE   Learn about culturally affirming and meaningful assignments. In this episode, I interview Dr. Christine Harrington, Faculty, Community College Leadership Doctoral Program, Morgan State University. The focus of the episode is her book, Creating Culturally Affirming and Meaningful Assignments: A Practical Resource for Higher Education Faculty. (Scroll down to access the transcript.) We cover the following key topics: 4:55:50: What is "culturally affirming" assignments? 6:36:64: Ways to get to know your students. 7:57:50: Why giving student choice in culturally a ..read more

LISTEN TO THE EPISODE   Learn how to support neurodivergent college students. In this episode, I interview Dr. Liz Norell, Associate Director of Instructional Support in the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at the University of Mississippi.  The focus of the episode is her article, Recap: What Instructors Need to Know When Working with Neurodivergent Students (Scroll down to access the transcript.) We cover the following key topics: 4:26:08: Neurodivergent explained 8:38:00: Challenges neurodivergent students face and what faculty can do to help 15:12:50: What to do whe ..read more

(A. Solano) The 5E's is an instructional model based on the constructivist approach to learning, which says that learners build or construct new ideas on top of their old ideas. In addition to instruction, it's also a framework to help make presentations more engaging and meaningful for audiences. The 5E's are applicable in all modalities: in-person, online, remote, hybrid, etc.  Each of the 5E's describes a phase of learning, and each phase begins with the letter "E": Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate. The 5E's allows students and instructors to experience common activiti ..read more