AUBURN — Central Maine Community College announces it has joined Achieving the Dream, a network of more than 220 colleges in 39 states dedicated to improving student success.

As a network institution, CMCC will work closely with national experts through the next three years, using evidence-based approaches to improving student outcomes.

The network offers a “capacity-building framework” and self-assessment tools that allow colleges to pinpoint strengths and areas for improvement. The approach integrates and aligns existing college success efforts and offers valuable support in making bold, institution-wide changes.

A team from CMCC met with teams from other colleges in February and June to prepare to launch their Achieving the Dream work. Colleges in the network will rely heavily on data that answers critical questions about who attends college, who succeeds and why, and how students pay for their education.

To advance the goals of academic success and social mobility, the colleges will examine data metrics that provide information on how low-income and other underserved students perform.

The Kresge Foundation awarded an $810,000 grant to The Foundation for Maine’s Community Colleges to enable CMCC and the other Maine community colleges to join the network.