"We’re Not Going to Close the Equity Gaps": Despite Progress, California Community Colleges Won’t Reach Newsom’s Aspirational Goals
In a report on the California Community Colleges' equity-gap goals and their methods for measuring student graduation rates, CalMatters cited CCRC's research (helmed by Davis Jenkins and Hana Lahr) on Ask-Connect-Inspire-Plan onboarding practices, which are designed to help students gain early momentum on their college trajectory.
Overwhelming Demand for Online Classes is Reshaping California’s Community Colleges
As the Los Angeles Times reports, in pre-pandemic fall 2019, 80% of community college classes in California were fully in person, 15% were fully remote, and 5% were hybrid; two years later, the numbers were nearly flipped, with 25% of classes in person, 65% remote, and 10% hybrid. CCRC Director Thomas Brock shared his insight into the outcomes of online instruction in community colleges.
Research Network to Examine Strategies to Help Colleges Bounce Back Post-Pandemic
Community College Daily reported on the new CCRC-led Accelerating Recovery in Community Colleges (ARCC) Network.
Many NYC Public School Grads Aren’t Ready for College, State Audit Finds
A recent New York State audit found that only 57% of students in New York City are college ready. CCRC Senior Research Scholar Elisabeth Barnett spoke to the New York Post about these findings and the reality of students' experiences: "Especially when students first get to college, they’re often very insecure about if they belong there. So if they get told they’re not college ready, that can be a very big blow."
Universities, Community Colleges Partner to Help Transfer Students Earn Degrees
The latest installment of PBS NewsHour's "Rethinking College" series uses CCRC research on transfer to frame their discussion of ADVANCE, which grants eligible Northern Virginia Community College students automatic admission to George Mason University while they're completing their associate degree.
The Mystery of Short-Term Credentials
Are short-term workforce credentials really a money-saving shortcut to a good job? CCRC Senior Research Scholar Davis Jenkins added nuance to this narrative for The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Transfer Enrollments Continue Pandemic-Driven Decline
CCRC Senior Research Associate John Fink spoke to Inside Higher Ed about the pandemic's contribution to declining transfer enrollment, especially among the most marginalized students: “We should measure our success by how well we’re serving those students who have been disproportionately impacted by both the pre-existing challenges in our transfer system as well as the ones we’re seeing through the course of the pandemic.”
The Importance of Credit Accumulation with Taylor Odle and Davis Jenkins
This episode of the Come to Believe (CTB) podcast focuses on credit accumulation—how the rate at which students earn college credits can make a big difference on their trajectories and ultimate success. CTB's educational programs manager, Sam Adams, was joined by CCRC Senior Research Scholar Davis Jenkins and Dr. Taylor Odle of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
A Job and a College Degree Before You Graduate High School
For Washington Monthly, CCRC Senior Research Scholar Davis Jenkins contextualized the state of dual enrollment programs like P-TECH (Pathways in Technology Early College High School) across the country: "In every state where we’ve looked at this, the average number of dual enrollment credits students take before they graduate is small—usually around 6 to 9 credits or 2 to 3 courses."
Why Don't More Community College Students Transfer?
According to figures issued by CCRC in 2021, of 100 degree-seeking community college students, about 31 were transferring to a four-year college, and only 14 earned a bachelor’s degree within six years. CCRC Director Thomas Brock spoke to The Chronicle of Higher Education about the shortcomings of the current transfer process, noting that educators and policymakers "find [these shortcomings] inexcusable and intolerable and are dedicated to making improvements."
