About ATPA

The Achieving the Promise Academy is Montgomery College’s academic coaching program, created in 2016 by a collegewide taskforce convened to develop strategies and scale existing programs that would close the  “achievement gap” and promote student success, especially for students historically marginalized and underserved in higher education.

Today, the Achieving the Promise Academy supports over 12,000 students annually with embedded academic coaching in 700+ sections of the highest-enrolled courses required for completion that historically have been the hardest for students to pass, as well as personal academic coaching for college success for more than 450 students each year.

Program Mission

The Achieving the Promise Academy partners with MC students to achieve their academic goals by developing the academic skills, knowledge, attitudes, and habits that contribute to success in college. We empower students to reframe academic challenges and reach their full potential by building on their strengths, targeting areas for growth, and accessing the resources they need to succeed. We intentionally create an environment where everyone is welcomed and valued.

Program Vision

We will be an integral partner in the College’s vision to provide students not just access to college but also the assistance, opportunities, and tools to effectively reach their goals. Our services will positively impact student persistence, completion of educational plans, and timely graduation/transfer, especially for students who have been historically marginalized and underserved. Because we acknowledge that access to the promise of higher education is shaped by systemic barriers and advantages, we will own our role in ensuring all students have equitable access to education by intentionally creating a coaching community that is affirming, inclusive, and just. Our program will be known for partnering within the College and community to advance educational equity for all community members. 

Program Values

• We believe all people deserve equitable access to education. 
• We keep students at the center of all we do.
• We welcome, include, and celebrate individuals with different strengths, abilities, ideas, and identities. We are better for it.
• We listen, research, assess, and reflect, holding ourselves accountable for results.
• We deliver our very best in all we do. 
• We practice learning from failure and celebrate progress over perfection.
• We work collaboratively to solve problems and share resources and knowledge. We encourage healthy debate and different ideas.
• We strive to be consistently compassionate, honest, ethical, and genuine.
• We direct our passion and commitment to energize, engage, and inspire each other. 
• We lead by example.
• We grow our program in a way that makes us proud. 

Why Academic Coaching?

Academic coaching is a powerful and distinct approach to student success, where coaches use evidence-based strategies to help students reflect on their academic performance and goals, create personal success plans, and persist in mastering necessary academic content and skills. ATPA's Academic Coaches employ distinct strategies from teaching, tutoring, mentoring, or advising, complementing those roles and services, to meet students where they are and partner with them to support their academic journey.

ATPA is a member of the Coaching in Higher Education Consortium, a diverse community of professionals engaged in the art and science of coaching to empower student growth and success. By serving as collaborative change agents, we advance coaching in higher education as a practice that transforms our institutions.

The  Coaching in Higher Education Consortium aims to:

• Value the relational, holistic, and agency-promoting elements of coaching that strengthen individuals, institutions, and societies.
• Inspire and support coaches by emphasizing personal well-being, professional development, and community engagement.
• Promote equity by advocating approaches to coaching that meet the needs of individual students.
• Contribute our collective experience and expertise to the development of evidence-based practices.
• Endorse scholarly projects that examine innovative coaching practices and measure student success.
• Share our resources to advance the practice and profession of coaching in higher education.