If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a strong network of committed colleagues to launch an initiative like "SENSE." From its conception in fall 2006 to the first national administration in fall 2009, the Survey of Entering Student Engagement ("SENSE") has been supported by key individuals and groups, without whom there would have been little chance that this idea--to create a national survey focusing on the front door of the community college--could have been achieved. To date, more than 91,000 students from 197 colleges in 37 states have participated in "SENSE," thereby helping to create a wealth of new and actionable data about the entering community college student experience. This report is designed to help community colleges take the next step forward. Using findings from the 2009 "SENSE" administration, it illustrates how colleges can use "SENSE" data to meet the goal of helping more entering students persist and succeed. The report introduces the "SENSE" Benchmarks of Effective Practice with Entering Students and demonstrates how colleges can use these benchmarks in their efforts to evaluate and improve their own performance.