Community College Research Center

What Community College Research Center does

The Community College Research Center (CCRC) is a private, nonprofit academic research center housed within Teachers College, Columbia University. Founded in 1996, it conducts and disseminates empirical research aimed at improving student success, equity outcomes, and institutional effectiveness at the nation's two-year community colleges. CCRC's portfolio spans seven research areas — dual enrollment, developmental education, guided pathways, advising and student supports, teaching and learning, transfer, and workforce education — and serves three principal audiences: community college practitioners, federal and state policymakers, and higher education researchers. The center is led by Director Thomas Brock (appointed 2018) and has historically been regarded as setting the gold standard for community college research, a position reinforced by 30 years of accumulated publications and embedded federal-policy relationships.

CCRC delivers its research through core products including an interactive Data Tools dashboard, a publications library of reports/working papers/fact sheets, a blog, Guided Pathways workshops, policy fact sheets, and several large multi-institution research initiatives. These initiatives include the ARCC Network (Accelerating Recovery in Community Colleges), the Postsecondary Teaching with Technology Collaborative with SRI International and Achieving the Dream, the Community College Practice-Research-Policy Exchange, and the PEAR doctoral fellowship program. Technically, CCRC is a research and policy organization rather than a software developer; its "data tools" are interactive visualizations rather than AI-driven analytics, and there is no proprietary commercial technology stack in the input data.

The business model is grant-funded nonprofit. CCRC operates as part of Teachers College, Columbia University and generates no commercial revenue; all publications and data resources are distributed free of charge. Funding flows primarily through competitive research grants from educational foundations and federal agencies — most notably a $10 million Institute of Education Sciences award in 2021 and a $7 million Ascendium Education Group grant in 2023. With 53 staff and a national reach via partnerships with Achieving the Dream (300+ colleges), the National Council of State Directors of Community Colleges, MDRC, the Aspen Institute, and others, CCRC monetizes its impact through funded research programs and its influence on community college policy and practice rather than through product sales.

Name

Community College Research Center

Legal name

Community College Research Center

Website

https://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

CCRC is a nonprofit research center at Teachers College, Columbia University that conducts empirical research on community college student success, developmental education, guided pathways, transfer, and workforce education, serving practitioners, policymakers, and researchers nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant funding: CCRC operates primarily through grant funding from educational foundations and government agencies. Major grants include $7 million from Ascendium Education Group to support five research projects, and a $10 million award from the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences to fund the Postsecondary Teaching with Technology Collaborative research center.

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CCRC conducts empirical research on U.S. community colleges and disseminates findings through peer-reviewed publications, interactive data dashboards, policy fact sheets, professional development workshops, and fellowships. Its research focuses on guided pathways, developmental education, dual enrollment, advising, transfer, teaching and learning, and workforce education to improve student completion, equity, and workforce outcomes.

Product overview

The Community College Research Center (CCRC) is a research center at Teachers College, Columbia University that does not offer commercial products but provides research publications, data tools, workshops, and professional learning resources. The core offerings include: Data Tools (interactive dashboards for exploring community college outcomes), Publications (research reports and briefs on topics including guided pathways, developmental education, dual enrollment, and transfer), a Blog featuring research insights, Guided Pathways Workshops for professional development, Policy Fact Sheets & Briefs, and Events/Webinars. CCRC also leads several major research initiatives including the ARCC Network for pandemic recovery, the Postsecondary Teaching with Technology Collaborative focused on online learning equity, the Community College Practice-Research-Policy Exchange, and the PEAR Fellowship program for training higher education researchers. Research areas span Dual Enrollment, Developmental Education, Guided Pathways, Advising & Student Supports, Teaching & Learning, Transfer, and Workforce Education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Data Tools Dashboard
• Guided Pathways Workshops
• Policy Fact Sheets and Briefs
• ARCC Network (Accelerating Recovery in Community Colleges Network)
• Postsecondary Teaching with Technology Collaborative
• Community College Practice-Research-Policy Exchange
• PEAR Fellowship (Postsecondary Education Applied Research)

Quantifiable outcome

• CCRC research on multiple measures assessment showed students 'bumped up' into college-level courses were much more likely to enroll in and complete college-level coursework
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• National Student Clearinghouse Research CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 October 2022Partner in the ARCC Network (Accelerating Recovery in Community Colleges) led by CCRC to study pandemic recovery strategies at community colleges.
• Wheelhouse: The Center for Community College Leadership and ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 October 2022Partner in the ARCC Network to bring together educators and researchers to work on pandemic recovery in community colleges.
• SRI InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 June 2021SRI Education and CCRC partnered with Achieving the Dream and nine broad-access colleges to conduct research on how educational technology and instructional strategies can bolster students' self-directed learning skills through a new research center funded by a $10 million IES award.
• Achieving the DreamcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 June 2021Achieving the Dream, a national leader in championing evidence-based institutional improvement with a network of more than 300 colleges, partners with SRI and CCRC on the Postsecondary Teaching with Technology Collaborative research center.
• University of Maryland Global CampusflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 May 2021Lead managing partner in the Community College Practice-Research-Policy Exchange, providing staff and administrative support as host institution for the national project.
• NC State Belk Center for Community College Leadership and ResearchflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 May 2021Lead managing partner in the Community College Practice-Research-Policy Exchange, providing coordination among other partners in the initiative.
• National Council of State Directors of Community CollegescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 May 2021State directors of community colleges work with presidents in their states to identify research most needed to inform decision-making, contributing to an annual nationally informed research agenda.
• Jobs for the FuturecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 May 2021JFF draws on practitioner networks to inform and activate the research agenda through its Policy Leadership Trust and Student Success Center Network partnership.
• Aspen InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 May 2021Aspen Institute's New Presidents Fellowship and Rising Presidents Fellowship provide insights on research topics to include in the Practice-Research-Policy Exchange agenda.
• MDRCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2021CCRC leads the Center for the Analysis of Postsecondary Readiness (CAPR) with MDRC, conducting research on developmental education reform and multiple measures assessment.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Jobs for the Future (JFF): JFF is a national nonprofit that works on community college workforce and student success initiatives and is a CCRC partner in the Practice-Research-Policy Exchange. It produces research and practitioner resources on community college pathways, postsecondary completion, and equity.
• Aspen Institute: Aspen Institute's College Excellence Program and New Presidents Fellowship focus on community college leadership and student success, making Aspen a peer in evidence-based community college research and a CCRC partner in the Practice-Research-Policy Exchange.
• SRI International: SRI Education partnered with CCRC on the IES-funded Postsecondary Teaching with Technology Collaborative. SRI conducts applied research on educational technology and student outcomes, with overlapping practice-research engagement in community college settings.
• MDRC: MDRC is a nonprofit social policy research organization that co-leads CCRC's Center for the Analysis of Postsecondary Readiness (CAPR). It conducts similarly rigorous, practitioner-engaged research on community college developmental education, making it a direct peer in evidence-based postsecondary research.
• National Student Clearinghouse Research Center: NSC Research Center is a CCRC partner in the ARCC Network and produces widely cited research on community college enrollment, persistence, transfer, and completion. Its national datasets and analytic publications directly overlap CCRC's higher education research focus.
• Wheelhouse: The Center for Community College Leadership and Research: Wheelhouse is a UC Davis-based research center focused on community college leadership and student success, and is a CCRC partner in the ARCC Network. It is a direct peer in community college research and policy translation.
• Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research (NC State): The Belk Center is a lead managing partner in the Community College Practice-Research-Policy Exchange with CCRC. It conducts research on community college leadership, rural colleges, and student success, making it a direct peer in applied community college research.

Broad incumbents

• American Association of Community Colleges (AACC): AACC is the national advocacy and research association for community colleges, producing data and policy analysis on the sector. While primarily an association rather than a research center, it is a comparable institution shaping community college policy and disseminating research to the field.
• Urban Institute: Urban Institute is a major economic and social policy research organization that publishes extensively on community college student success, financial aid, and equity. Its higher education research portfolio overlaps directly with CCRC's broader research areas.
• RAND Corporation: RAND is a large, established research institution with a substantial education policy division that studies higher education access, completion, and equity. It competes with CCRC for federal research awards and produces overlapping research on community college effectiveness.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/communityccrc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCGBb89zYYE_57RS6MI0J3JQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/270177994253
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-college-research-center
• Instagraminstagram.com/communityccrc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Community College Research Center