Community colleges in Allegheny, Beaver and Westmoreland counties have joined a national initiative aimed at helping more students succeed.

For the next year, the successes and failures of students enrolled in almost any class or program at the colleges will be put under an analytical microscope. Gender, race and age statistics will be gathered, as will information about each student's educational background.

The initiative is called Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count. The three community colleges are joining 58 other community colleges across the country starting or already participating in it.

The colleges each received a $50,000 grant from Lumina Foundation for Education to launch the initiative. The Heinz Endowments will fund programs the colleges might have to implement to correct deficiencies.

The aim is to improve the success rate of community college students, probably the single most transient student population in the country.

At Westmoreland County Community College, students will be asked for the first time what their goal is in taking a class at the college. It will serve as a gauge to measure whether the student believes his personal objective has been met.

Participating in the Achieving the Dream initiative will help community colleges discover their strengths and weaknesses and what they can do to help students succeed, said Steven C. Ender, president of the Westmoreland County school.

Educated citizens are vital for thriving communities, he said.

"Almost any occupation calls for some [college-level work]," Dr. Ender said. For many students, the local community college is the most realistic way to get it.

The student population at community colleges across the country is a little older than the population of a typical four-year college. Many students at community colleges are first-generation college students, work full- or part-time jobs, and have academic, financial or personal challenges. More than a third of all community college students have children.

The study team will seek out students who enrolled in the college a year ago but did not return. The team will want to know why: Did the student only want to take one course? Or did personal, financial or educational obstacles make returning too difficult?

Dr. Daniel Obara, vice president for academic affairs and student services at WCCC, is leading the study team. In addition to gathering hard data, the team plans to hold focus group meetings with students, faculty, staff and community members to get to the root of problems, he said.

The college has tried to level the educational playing field all along by offering remedial courses, but the new initiative will take things further.

"Most [students] have to take placement tests," he said. Then, if deficiencies are discovered, the students have to take one of the mathematics, reading or writing developmental courses.

Once those are mastered, the students move on to what are called gateway courses, basic college-level, 101-type courses nearly every college freshman anywhere must pass.

Students can enroll in the very specialized certificate program, which requires 15 to 23 credits; a diploma program that consists of 30 credit hours in a specific career; or associate degrees in either arts or applied science, which are 60 credit hours and include general education requirements and degree-specific electives.

If students don't succeed in finishing whatever program they initially sought to complete, the Achieving the Dream team wants to be able to say why.

It's possible the school was at fault because it didn't recognize that a student came in with some educational deficiencies that should have been recognized, Dr. Ender said. Maybe the cutoff score for the placement tests is too low or the high school's curriculum too substandard to prepare the student for college work.

At least the college will know how to remedy the situation.

"We're going to see data we won't like," Dr. Ender acknowledged. But the initiative will guide change that's needed and will help students for many years to come.