The Best of Two Worlds: Lessons from a Community College-Community Organization Collaboration to Increase Student Success

This report highlights the work of a NYC community-based organization (CBO), Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation, in an initiative that increased two-year-college graduation rates for youth who had attained a GED or graduated from a failing high school. Youth from the organization who participated in the College Access and Success Initiative (CAS), in partnership with New York City College of Technology, had twice the graduation rate of those in a comparison group, and 75% of the graduates went on to seek a BA degree. CAS was conceived and is managed by the Youth Development Institute (YDI).