CCRC in the News

• April 28, 2026

Book Review of More Essential Than Ever: Community College Pathways to Educational and Career Success

"By moving the conversation from completion to career-connected and transfer-aligned success," Danielle N. Susi wrote in Community College Journal of Research and Practice, "the authors broaden the scope of what institutional reform must accomplish."

• April 28, 2026

National University Establishes New Transfer Pathway With Calif. 2-Year Colleges

The predominantly online institution will admit anyone who earned an associate degree for transfer through California Community Colleges. California isn’t the only state where relatively few community college students later earn a bachelor’s degree; it’s a nationwide problem that has persisted for years, John Fink told Inside Higher Ed.

• April 21, 2026

Why Two-Year Schools Are Higher Education's Fastest-Growing Sector

Undergraduate enrollment has increased post pandemic, especially at community colleges. In the EDU Ledger, Davis Jenkins credited the enrollment surge to older adults returning to upskill through short-term training programs and high school students taking dual enrollment courses.

• April 14, 2026

Shifting Focus to Post-Completion Outcomes

Community College Daily covered a session at AACC 2026 in which Davis Jenkins and Hana Lahr presented findings from their book, More Essential Than Ever, emphasizing the importance of post-completion success and the value of degrees.

• April 13, 2026

Why Community Colleges Are the New Frontier for Older Adult Learners

In the EDU Ledger, Tom Brock said the trend of older adults returning to community college for new skills and credentials is not new, but it is intensifying in ways that reflect the anxieties of the current moment.

• April 12, 2026

Families Across the U.S. Are Getting College Acceptance Letters—And Tuition Bills

Judith Scott-Clayton spoke with NPR about the cost of college in the U.S. They discussed the difference between sticker and net price and the opaqueness of tuition costs in this audio piece.

• April 8, 2026

5 Questions on Dual Enrollment

In an interview with Inside Higher Ed, John Fink discussed which high school students really benefit from taking college courses.

• April 2, 2026

The Blunt Instrument: How Federal Student Aid Reform Is Restructuring Inequality

Federal policies around financial aid will soon restrict borrowing limits. Judith Scott-Clayton told The EDU Ledger she sees these changes as a "blunt instrument” that will disproportionately impact first-generation students, low-income students, and students of color.

• March 12, 2026

Why Multilingual Community College Students Struggle—And What Schools Can Do

University Business covered findings from a CCRC report examining how policies and practices affect multilingual learners across City Colleges of Chicago's seven-campus system.

• March 5, 2026

Federal Work-Study Boosts Enrollment for Community College and Independent Students, Study Finds

The EDU Ledger reports on a new working paper by Veronica Minaya, Judith Scott-Clayton, and Adela Soliz that found that students in community colleges and independent students are more likely to enroll in college when offered Federal Work-Study aid.