CCRC in the News
Work Shift Explainer: California’s Urgent Work to Reform Remedial Ed
CCRC's Nikki Edgecombe and Jessica Brathwaite talked to Work Shift for this explainer on California’s remedial reform. It discusses what’s at stake for millions of vulnerable students, the accomplishments and challenges of the multi-year effort, and the continued investment that will be required to make it work in the nation’s largest public college system.
CCAC’s Enrollment Dropped During the Pandemic. What Could This Mean for Allegheny County?
CCRC Director Tom Brock spoke with the nonprofit Pittsburgh news website PublicSource for a story about enrollment drops at the Community College of Allegheny County. A long-term drop could affect the region's economic vitality, he said.
Community Colleges Find Creative Ways to Entice Students Back to Campus Despite Enrollment Lows
CCRC Senior Research Associate Hana Lahr joined a discussion about how community colleges are bringing students back to campus on the daily talk show Where We Live from Connecticut Public Radio/WNPR.
Rethinking Remedial Programs to Promote College Student Success
CCRC Research Affiliates Florence Xiaotao Ran and Yuxin Lin wrote about their CCRC research on corequisite remediation for The Brookings Institution's Brown Center Chalkboard. Their research adds to the consensus that corequisite remediation is much more effective than traditional prerequisite remediation.
Legislation Expands Pell Grants but Excludes Online Ed
CCRC Director Tom Brock told Inside Higher Ed that instead of excluding all online programs from an expansion of short-term Pell Grants, Congress should enact quality standards requiring institutions to demonstrate that students get jobs that justify the investment.
The US Desperately Needs Skilled Workers. But the Community Colleges That Train Them Are Woefully Underfunded
In a story on the importance of community colleges in workforce training, CCRC Director Tom Brock told CNN Business that he’s concerned about the possibility that a downward funding spiral could hurt community colleges and their students.
How Dual Enrollment Varies Across Southern States
Diverse: Issues in Higher Education wrote about a new report from the Southern Regional Education Board on dual enrollment in the region. John Fink, a senior research associate at CCRC, told Diverse that dual enrollment can be an equity lever if used intentionally.
Strapped Community Colleges to Receive Additional $198 Million in Aid From Biden Administration
The public radio program Marketplace Morning Report interviewed CCRC Director Tom Brock on additional funding for community colleges from the American Rescue Plan. Brock said he would like to see the funding paired with research into the most effective ways to use the money to support students.
Merger Yields a New College and Student Supports
Inside Higher Ed reports on a new private two-year college that will focus on underserved students. CCRC Senior Research Scholar Davis Jenkins said the model could provide access to bachelor's degrees and valuable workforce credentials, but such colleges need to plan carefully to ensure their students can move forward in their education and careers.
Pandemic Enrollment Drops Leave 1 Million Potential Students Behind
With another drop in community college enrollment in fall 2021, CCRC Director Tom Brock told Diverse: Issues in Higher Education that enrollment was already falling before the pandemic but that concerns about the virus are suppressing the numbers even further. Hands-on programs are especially hurting.