Formed in 1989 at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, the Office of Community College Research and Leadership  (OCCRL) is a community college leadership and research organization. OCCRL utilizes research and evaluation methods to improve policies, programs, and practices designed to enhance community college education and transition to college for diverse learners. OCCRL conducts research on programs, policies, and practices of P-20 education systems, and aims to strengthen pathways to postsecondary education and careers.

OCCRL focuses in four core areas:

• Equity-Driven Change
• Comprehensive P-20 Educational Pathways
• Transformative Leadership
• Public Engagement

Examples of current projects:

• The Advancing Racial Justice and Equitable Outcomes Community Colleges Institutes provide professional development opportunities for community college faculty, student affairs professionals, and academic affairs administrators.
• The CTE Gateway to Equity study focuses on how data was used to identify inequities in CTE program recruitment, retention, and completion, as well as student matriculation into employment.
• The  Ensure Students are Learning Issue Briefs and Spotlight Briefs were designed in conjunction with the Center for Community College Student Engagement to help produce equity-centered practices and outcomes for all students.
• The Hispanic-Serving Community Colleges STEM Pipelines study endeavors to establish a richer understanding of the ways that HSCCs may affect student persistence among diverse learners and illuminate ways that these unique institutional contexts play a role in furthering educational comes for STEM students.
• The Minority-Serving Community Colleges (MSCC) exploratory study is examining factors that influence student success in STEM at public community colleges that are federally designated minority-serving institutions.
• Transitioning Learners to Calculus in Community Colleges (TLC3) is a research project aimed at transforming institutional approaches to matriculating STEM majors into and through Calculus II in community colleges.