Recent data suggest that students are returning to community colleges, though total numbers are well below pre-pandemic levels. Davis Jenkins explores the causes of enrollment declines in recent decades and examines ways colleges can build on successful reforms to improve student outcomes.
Earning college credit in high school enables more students—especially those historically underrepresented in higher education—to pursue college after high school. However, many students who stand to benefit the most from these opportunities often have limited access to them. Jessica Steiger breaks down a new CCRC brief that examines the potential of five different models to help underrepresented students enter college degree programs in high-opportunity fields.
There is no simple recipe for developing an equitable, effective community college funding system. But understanding the challenges facing community colleges and the finance systems that underpin them can help policymakers, educators, and advocates develop new funding approaches. Kate Shaw, Lauren Asher, and Stephanie Murphy share findings from their latest report, Mapping Community College Finance Systems to Develop Equitable and Effective Finance Policy.
While community college practice has changed considerably in recent decades, workforce and economic development programs remain stagnant. Jim Jacobs reflects on how community colleges might update the way they work with employers to ensure equity remains a central goal of workforce programs.
While commentary on the dire state of the humanities in higher education continues, the role that community colleges might play in helping put students on the humanities track has been largely overlooked. How might community colleges strengthen their humanities offerings, and working with their four-year partners, better propel more of their students to successful transfer in the humanities?
Many community colleges offer dual enrollment courses at a lower tuition rate than is paid by post-high school students. But—as dual enrollment students have come to comprise a larger share of community college enrollments—can colleges afford to continue offering these courses at a discount? Clive Belfield, Davis Jenkins, and John Fink consider how community colleges can structure their programs to be more efficient and financially sustainable.
Former research intern Hamnah Malik breaks down the potential benefits and drawbacks of the quarter system and discusses how a similar system of mini-semesters at community colleges could facilitate learning and promote student success.
For the first time following the pandemic, we can examine detailed state- and college-level enrollment trends by age group using the latest federal data. Senior Research Associate and Program Lead John Fink examines these numbers and offers three major takeaways on how community college enrollment changed during the pandemic.
In this blog post, Christopher Quarles, a former community college teacher and current PhD candidate at the University of Michigan School of Information, shares findings from his recently published study on student capital, which he defines as the cumulative effect of all factors that account for student success.
Much is unknown about the nature of first-generation students' personal networks, but a new CCRC study is changing that. CCRC Senior Research Assistant and PEAR Fellow Melissa Herman and Senior Research Associate Hoori Santikian Kalamkarian discuss the impetus for the study and share some preliminary findings in this blog post.
