Online Courses Aren’t Going Away: Two New Reports Show How Self-Directed Learning Skills Can Improve Student Success

Although the rise in online coursetaking has benefits in terms of convenience and flexibility for students, it is not without challenges. Two new reports offer insights into approaches that can help colleges support students in online courses, particularly STEM courses.

Community Colleges Combating Climate Change

Banner reads "Building a Sustainable Future, April 6, 2024" and features photos from the convening.
In April, CCRC hosted an all-day meeting in Louisville, KY focused on understanding the ways community colleges can contribute to the green energy transition with the goal of developing a research agenda around community colleges and climate change.

CCRC Heads West for the 2024 NASPA Annual Conference

CCRC hosted two sessions at the 2024 NASPA Annual Conference in March. This blog post summarizes the sessions and covers CCRC's presence at NASPA.

Two Large Studies Measure Progress on Guided Pathways at Community Colleges

Because whole-college reform is hard to evaluate, no prior major study has examined how successfully colleges have adopted guided pathways or what its effects have been on students. Now, two recent studies from CCRC are providing an unprecedented look at guided pathways reforms at approximately 100 colleges.

Building Stronger Collaborations Between Community Colleges and Disciplinary Societies

For university faculty, disciplinary societies provide support throughout their careers—stimulating new ideas and fostering collaborations. How can these supports be more accessible to faculty teaching in community colleges? A new report summarizes the outcomes of a 2023 workshop that created action plans for increased collaboration and engagement.

Aftershocks: How the Pandemic Affected Community College Finances

By Clive Belfield, Thomas Brock, John Fink, and Davis Jenkins For the community college sector, the COVID-19 pandemic was not like other economic shocks. Traditionally, economic downturns lead students to enroll in college at higher rates: Fiscal shocks are therefore offset by increases in tuition revenue, and college operations and institutional

“Waiving” Goodbye to Placement Tests for Dual Enrollment in Ohio

Ohio waived testing-based eligibility requirements for some dual enrollment students by introducing the Innovative Program (IP) policy in 2017. A new CCRC working paper examines how the state policy was implemented and whether it resulted in expanded access and improved outcomes for Black and Hispanic students.

New Report Guides States and Systems on Supporting Practitioner Efforts to Strengthen Dual Enrollment

In a new report, CCRC and CHSA provide state leaders with recommendations for improving dual enrollment programming in ways that support practitioners’ efforts. The recommendations are organized into three areas: expanding access, strengthening on-ramps to postsecondary pathways, and building and sustaining strong partnerships.

New Federal Transfer Data: Which Colleges Are Serving Community College Transfers Best?

By John Fink, Tatiana Velasco, and Davis Jenkins Last week, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) released—for the first time ever—public transfer community college student outcomes data for colleges and universities across the country. ED’s analysis examined federal financial aid recipients who started higher education at a community college

Celebrating the Strengths of First-Generation College Students

In celebration of first-generation students, Hoori Kalamkarian and Melissa Herman share findings from a recent CCRC-led study on first-generation college students’ support networks and how those relationships shape their college journeys.

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