No results found.

Update the search term and try again.

No search term added.

Please type a search term and try again.

loading...

DFW Analysis and Exemplars in Two-Year Institutions

A grant-funded initiative supporting ATD Network colleges in advancing understanding of gateway mathematics outcomes and identifying practices associated with stronger and more equitable student success.

Overview

DFW Analysis and Exemplars in Two-Year Institutions is a 17-month initiative designed to strengthen the community college field’s understanding of student outcomes in gateway mathematics courses. Funded by the Gates Foundation, the initiative will engage approximately 20–25 ATD Network colleges in a quantitative analysis of gateway math outcomes and invite a subset of participating institutions to contribute to qualitative case studies that illuminate promising practices and institutional conditions associated with stronger student success.

Through this initiative, participating colleges will contribute course-section-level data related to D grades, F grades, and withdrawals (DFW) in gateway mathematics courses, helping to build a stronger evidence base about how outcomes vary across institutional contexts and student populations.

Participating colleges will receive technical support throughout the data submission process and access to aggregate findings that can inform local conversations and improvement efforts. Findings from the initiative will be shared through reports, case studies, webinars, and other resources designed to benefit the ATD Network and the broader community college field.

Learn more and apply

Why It Matters

Gateway mathematics courses often serve as critical milestones that shape students’ momentum, persistence, completion, and transfer. High rates of D grades, F grades, and withdrawals can interrupt academic progress, delay credential attainment, and contribute to inequitable outcomes across student groups. Yet these patterns are often treated as inevitable rather than as opportunities for inquiry and improvement.

Community colleges across the country are implementing a range of strategies to strengthen gateway mathematics outcomes, from corequisite supports and course redesign to evidence-based teaching practices and enhanced student supports. By bringing together colleges from across the ATD Network, this initiative seeks to generate actionable insights that help institutions use data to inform improvement, identify promising practices, and strengthen student success in gateway mathematics courses.

Goals and Outcomes

Through DFW Analysis and Exemplars in Two-Year Institutions, participating colleges will:

  • Contribute to a multi-institution evidence base that strengthens understanding of gateway mathematics outcomes across diverse two-year colleges.
  • Identify patterns in DFW rates and gateway mathematics outcomes across student populations, course characteristics, and institutional contexts.
  • Gain access to aggregate findings that support local benchmarking, reflection, and improvement efforts.
  • Surface practices and conditions that may be associated with stronger and more equitable student success in gateway mathematics.
  • Document and elevate promising strategies through qualitative case studies and field-facing resources.
  • Share lessons learned through reports, webinars, and other dissemination activities that inform the ATD Network and the broader community college field.