In this case study, we explore how the Halting Oppressive Pathways through Education (HOPE) program at Boston’s Bunker Hill Community College embodies the best of belonging practices. Due to societal legacies of racialized oppression, displacement and erasure Bunker Hill Community College college has historically struggled to effectively serve Black, Latinx and Indigenous male identifying students. To address this inequity, college administrators automatically enroll students with one or more of these identities into the HOPE program as soon as they enroll at the college.
HOPE provides students with intimate, individualized advising, mentorship and other support needed to succeed in college. HOPE is expertly managed by a team of committed staff — many of whom also identify as men of color — who ensure that the program is both delivering outcomes for students and reverberating into the broader BHCC culture and organizational structures.
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The results are impressive, with HOPE engaged students having a 75% persistence rate, 5 percentage points higher than HOPE eligible students and 2 percentage points higher than the overall rate for degree-seeking students. But it’s not just the numbers that tell the story – the testimonials from students who have experienced the program are a powerful reminder of the impact that HOPE is having on their lives.
This case study is part of the BMWP in Action Series, which highlights innovative approaches to fostering belonging, meaning, wellbeing, and purpose (BMWP) as a strategy to improve racial equity and student success.
Featured Artifact |
HOPE End of Term Scholar Survey – The Halting Oppressive Pathways through Education (HOPE) team at Bunker Hill Community College uses this brief survey to understand scholar experiences, progress and areas for improvement.
Each of HOPE’s 1,500 scholars receive the survey at the end of each academic term. HOPE staff review responses and use the results to target areas for improvement. The HOPE team uses Qualtrics to administer the survey.