El Camino College Joins Achieving the Dream Network
El Camino College announced today that it has joined the 2026 cohort of the Achieving the Dream (ATD) Network, a national community of colleges committed to advancing student success, economic mobility, and community impact.
As a new Network institution, El Camino College will participate in ATD’s Foundations of Transformation, an intensive three-year engagement designed to strengthen the institutional capacities needed to support student success and drive long-term institutional improvement. Guided by ATD’s Community Vibrancy Framework, the work will help the college build more inclusive, data-informed, and student-centered systems that respond to the evolving needs of students and the region.
“Through this collaboration, El Camino College aims to reduce duplication, enhance synergy across programs, and sustain gains beyond individual funding cycles or initiatives,” said Dr. Brenda Thames, Superintendent/President of El Camino College. “This alignment will support more equitable and consistent outcomes for students and strengthen the college’s capacity for long‑term, institution‑wide transformation.”
“Community colleges play a vital role in expanding opportunity and strengthening the communities they serve,” said Lenore Rodicio, Ph.D., incoming president and CEO of Achieving the Dream. “We are thrilled to welcome El Camino College to the ATD Network part of our 2026 cohort. The college is demonstrating a bold commitment to student success, institutional transformation, and community impact. We look forward to partnering with El Camino College as they build on their strengths, advance innovative practices, and create lasting impact for their learners and their region.”
By joining the ATD Network, El Camino College will connect with a national peer community of colleges focused on advancing equitable student outcomes and institutional effectiveness. The college will also have access to ATD’s expert coaching, strategic tools, professional learning opportunities, and network-wide collaboration.
Representatives from El Camino College will begin their Network journey this summer, completing foundational assessments and preparing for their first on-campus coaching visits in August and early September. Their introductory experience will culminate at ATD's Data & Analytics Summit, taking place September 29–October 2 in Baltimore, where they will join a summit track designed specifically for new Network institutions and engage with ATD's Institutional Capacity Framework 2.0, a comprehensive assessment built on seven essential capacities for driving student success.
Joining the Achieving the Dream Network represents a strategic opportunity for El Camino College to accelerate and deepen its institutional transformation efforts. El Camino has established important foundations through Guided Pathways redesign, equity‑focused planning, and a strong institutional research infrastructure. Achieving the Dream’s Foundations of Transformation experience provides structured coaching, diagnostic tools, and peer learning to align these efforts into a cohesive and sustainable improvement strategy. The Achieving the Dream participation further embeds data‑informed decision‑making, elevates the student voice, and refines institutional practices across academic affairs and student services. This model aligns with El Camino’s focus on continuous improvement, equity‑minded practice, and long‑term capacity building.