TBR – The College System of Tennessee launches Project RISE to improve success for students in learning support courses

TBR – The College System of Tennessee is launching Project RISE, an innovative effort designed to improve learning and classroom success for community college students enrolled in learning support courses. Funded by Ascendium Education Group, the project will pilot and evaluate a more intensive tutoring model at two Tennessee community colleges from Spring 2027 through Spring 2029.

Project RISE – Real-Time, In-Class, Small-Group, Enhanced Support – will embed trained tutors directly into learning support classrooms. Working alongside faculty, tutors will provide academic support in reading, writing and mathematics to groups of three to five students.

The initiative addresses a persistent challenge facing community colleges. In Tennessee, approximately 70 percent of community college students are academically underprepared for college-level coursework. To help them succeed, Tennessee community colleges implemented a corequisite learning support model in 2015, the first systemwide implementation in the country. 

Through corequisite learning support, all students can access college-level courses during their first term of enrollment, and underprepared students who need additional academic support are also enrolled in a “corequisite” learning support experience alongside their college-level coursework. Before 2015, students below college level in math, reading, or writing were required to pass a learning support course before enrolling in college-level, gateway courses, delaying them from earning college credit. After corequisite learning support was implemented, gateway course success rates for learning support students doubled. 

While learning support courses help these students succeed in college-level math, reading, and writing, many who require learning support still struggle to pass gateway courses and persist toward degree completion. Project RISE seeks to strengthen the state’s nationally recognized corequisite model by bringing high-dosage tutoring directly into class time, ensuring students receive consistent support without needing to seek services outside the classroom. This work is tied directly to TBR’s strategic plan, which calls for improving college processes, including strengthening academic preparation “through high-quality learning support and tutoring.”

"Project RISE builds on a strong foundation of innovation in corequisite learning support at Tennessee’s community colleges," said Dr. Amy Moreland, TBR’s vice chancellor for research and innovation. "By embedding tutors directly in the learning support classroom, we hope to improve student learning, build academic confidence, and provide students with the skills they need for long-term success in college and the workforce.”

The project will be conducted as a randomized control trial, one of the most rigorous methods for evaluating educational interventions. Some learning support course sections at Jackson State and Volunteer State Community Colleges will be randomly assigned to receive embedded tutoring, allowing researchers to measure the impact of the RISE model on course success, persistence and other student outcomes.

“Research shows that making it easier for people to access beneficial services increases take-up and often leads to better outcomes,” said Dr. Ben Castleman, professor of public policy and education at the University of Virginia. “Project RISE is a great illustration of this approach: bringing well-trained, consistent academic tutors into learning support classes has real potential to provide students with the academic support they need to thrive in college.”

Project RISE brings together national experts in tutoring and student success, including Dr. Castleman, Dr. Sally Sadoff of the University of California, San Diego, Dr. Kelli Bird of the University of Virginia, and implementation partner Saga Education.

“Saga's work in Algebra 1 reflects our belief that mastering key math skills can open pathways to high school graduation, college success, and future opportunity,” said Maryellen Leneghan, chief program officer at Saga Education. “Partnering with the Tennessee Board of Regents and community colleges allows us to extend that commitment to college students, bringing high-impact tutoring directly into their learning environments. Through this partnership and support in the program evaluation, we hope to build evidence about how high-impact tutoring can help more students persist through college and achieve their goals after graduation.”

Results from the project will help inform future strategies for improving student outcomes across Tennessee’s community colleges and may contribute to broader national efforts to strengthen academic support for community college students.