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.
An ‘Unbelievable Comeback’
While community colleges across the country continue to struggle with pandemic-related enrollment declines, Spartanburg Community College bucked the trend and saw its student headcount increase. CCRC Senior Research Associate John Fink told Inside Higher Ed that Spartanburg is "an exciting outlier."
Stakeholders Assess the State of the Free Community College Movement
The free community college provision was struck from the Build Back Better Bill, which CCRC Director Thomas Brock told Diverse: Issues in Higher Education may have been a blessing in disguise. This story takes stock of where the sector goes from here, especially considering variation in price, funding structure, and college quality in states across the country.
2 More Community Colleges Targeted by Ransomware
Butler County Community College in Pennsylvania and Lewis and Clark Community College in Illinois are the latest higher education institutions to become targets of cyberattacks. The costly incidents come at a moment when community colleges are already struggling to make ends meet in the wake of pandemic-related enrollment slides, CCRC Senior Research Scholar Davis Jenkins to Inside Higher Ed.
Lagging Behind
Completion rates are disproportionately low at California Community Colleges, and campus leaders are taking steps to boost retention. CCRC Senior Research Scholar Davis Jenkins told Inside Higher Ed that the system "needs to turn around" and develop programs that lead students to a good job or transfer in a field they're interested in.
