In this episode, CTB's Carlos Martinez sat down with Dr. Justin Shaffer of Recombinant Education and the Colorado School of Mines to discuss Dr. Shaffer's implementation, research and advocacy for "high structure course design" a student-centered approach to instruction that combines rigor, autonomy, and scaffolding for learning. We learned a lot from this episode, and we know you will, too!

Learn more about Justin's work here:

https://chemeng.mines.edu/project/shaffer-justin/

https://www.recombinanteducation.com/about/

In this episode, CTB's Carlos Martinez sat down with the President & CEO of the Dream.US, the nation’s largest college and career success program for undocumented immigrant youth. They discuss Gaby's path to activism and advocacy, the mission of the Dream.US, how the current political climate is impacting her work, and the importance of personal narratives to social change. In our current moment, this is a conversation you won't want to miss.

In this episode CTB's Carlos Martinez sat down with Dr. Aidé Acosta, Chief College Officer of Noble Schools in Chicago, to discuss how best to support students to and through higher education in the current political moment.

In this episode, CTB's Carlos Martinez shares an audio essay based upon his recent presentation, Building Belonging. Carlos reflects on the importance of belonging in the CTB model by sharing audio clips of stakeholders across the CTB Network. Topics include high-touch staffing, culturally sustaining pedagogy, and student-led extracurriculars. Enjoy!

In this episode, CTB's Carlos Martinez sat down with two members of the Founder's College (the new CTB model college at Butler University in Indianapolis): Associate Director of Admissions Donneisha Baker and Associate Director of Financial Aid Morgan McCombs. They discuss Founder's admissions process that is already underway, common admissions and financial aid challenges for first generation students, the supports that Founder's College provides its prospective students, and much more. Enjoy this inside look at how the first class of Founder's College is coming together!

In this episode, CTB's Carlos Martinez sat down with Ashley Mowreader (https://x.com/amowreader), Student Success Reporter for Inside Higher Ed & host of Voices of Student Success podcast, to discuss the landscape of mental health on college campuses. They discuss Ashley's recent blog post covering the results of Inside Higher Ed's Student Voice survey, especially related to mental health. Ashley shares her perspective on the main drivers of mental health issues on campus, the way that postsecondary institutions are responding, and what additional research is needed to further understand the issue.

Check out Ashley's blog post that inspired the conversation here: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/student-success/health-wellness/2024/08/19/experts-weigh-college-student-mental-health-crisis

In this episode, CTB's Carlos Martinez sat down with Eric Hoover, senior writer at the Chronicle of Higher Education. The conversation focused on Eric's recent work on the challenges facing students experiencing homelessness while they navigate the federal financial aid system. They how federal policy related to homeless students has evolved over time, how last year's botched FAFSA roll-out impacted this subpopulation of students specifically, and what solutions exist to these challenges moving forward. Thank you to Eric for shining a spotlight on this important issue!

Read Eric's article here: https://www.chronicle.com/article/on-their-own-without-a-home-and-waiting-for-federal-aid

In this episode, CTB's Carlos Martinez sat down (in person during a campus visit at Dougherty Family College) with DFC's Carla Gonzalez (Literacy Specialist) and Heather Isernhagen (Math Specialist). They discussed DFC's unique approach to academic supports, the value of meeting scholars where they are, and the importance of balancing both rigor and support in the classroom. We learned a lot from this conversation, and we know you will, too!

Learn more about DFC here: https://dfc.stthomas.edu/

In this episode, CTB's Carlos Martinez sat down with Miriam Porras and Madeline Joy Trimble of Ithaka S+R, a non-profit that provides strategic advice and support services to help institutions improve their performance and further their missions. Carlos, Miriam, and Madeline discuss a recent report on using data to support student retention and success. They discuss some of the key findings from the report, the importance of ethical data collection, the importance of institutional collaboration, and much more. Enjoy!

Read the report here:

https://sr.ithaka.org/blog/using-student-data-to-tackle-attrition-and-boost-student-success-and-retention/

In this episode, CTB's Carlos Martinez sits down with journalist Joshua Bay of The 74 to discuss his recent article, 'I Needed Help: Students Spill the Truth About College Experiences.' Joshua and Carlos discuss the postsecondary pathways of three students that Joshua profiled in the piece, the ways these students interacted with a variety of higher education institutions, the importance of community and belonging, and the necessity of meeting students where they are. We learned a lot from this conversation, and we know you will, too!

Read Joshua's article here: https://www.the74million.org/article/i-needed-help-students-spill-the-truth-about-college-experiences/