[GuidedPathways] Evolve Report

[Student Success Center]

Greetings,

College Spark Washington is pleased to join the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in sharing the 2025 Evolve Initiative Report: Thriving Equitable Systems. This report represents a critical milestone in our collective efforts to foster inclusive, antiracist institutions across Washington's 34 community and technical colleges.
College Spark Washington and SBCTC are collaborating to launch the Evolve Initiative, a system-wide effort designed to strengthen the conditions under which formal and informal leaders of color can thrive. Embracing this effort also enhances the environment for effective and inclusive college outcomes for both staff and students. This report, written by Education Northwest, presents findings from over 500 survey responses, interviews, and focus groups with CTC leaders, highlighting the lived experiences, challenges, and recommendations across our system.
College Spark Washington and SBCTC are working collaboratively to launch the Evolve Initiative, a system-wide effort designed to strengthen the conditions under which formal and informal leaders of color can thrive. This report, written by Education Northwest, presents findings from over 500 survey responses, interviews, and focus groups with CTC leaders, highlighting the lived experiences, challenges, and recommendations across our system.
Key findings in the report include:

  *   Persistent barriers to equity-focused systems change, including performative practices, limited mentorship, and inequitable advancement pathways for leaders of color.
  *   Opportunities to embed structural reforms in hiring, professional learning, and leadership development practices.
  *   The need for a statewide EDI implementation framework that provides consistency while honoring local context.
  *   A systemwide call to elevate equity leadership as a moral and strategic priority.
The full report with an executive summary is now available here<https://collegespark.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/2025-Evolve-Report-Final-Distribution.pdf> and is also attached. We'd like to encourage you to explore the findings and consider how they might inform and strengthen your local efforts.
We extend our sincere gratitude to the Evolve Advisory Committee, comprised of leaders of color across the CTC system, for their guidance in this work. In addition, we extend special thanks to the Multicultural Student Services Directors Council (MSSDC), the Diversity and Equity Officers Commission (DEOC), the Trustees of Color, and the WA Equity Network for their invaluable contributions during the meaning-making phase of the report. Their insights and leadership helped ensure the evaluation reflected lived experience and was grounded in transformative possibility.
As we prepare for the implementation phase in the coming months, we look forward to continuing to partner with you to turn these insights into action and ensure that every leader, staff member, and student in our system is supported to thrive. More information about the specific strategies that will be funded through the Evolve Initiative will be available in the coming months.


Heather Gingerich, JD (she/her)
Director of Strategic Initiative Partnerships
(206) 890-6371
www.collegespark.org<http://www.collegespark.org/>

Book a time to meet with me here<https://link.zixcentral.com/u/c29efbf9/xNj_aZgh7hGfIeXXhnsoMg?u=https%3A%2F%2Foutlook.office.com%2Fbookwithme%2Fuser%2Fe00016791334445db5f17091708f11b8%40collegespark.org%3Fanonymous%26ep%3DplinkC%3AUsersheatherDocumentsCustom%2520Office%2520Templates>

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College Spark Washington supports the postsecondary dreams
of students and their communities through grant making focused
on dismantling racism in the education system.



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