November 10, 2023

Education Department Releases New Data on Transfer

The release of the data aims to motivate institutions to measure and improve their transfer outcomes, reports Inside Higher Ed. John Fink commented that the data have limits but their release is a “huge step forward.”

November 10, 2023

Why Is It So Hard For Community College Students to Transfer Credits to 4-year Institutions?

In an interview for Marketplace, John Fink discussed why transfer students often get lost, and how strengthening communication between two- and four-year institutions could help.  “I think our conventional approach with transfer students, why we’re getting these low outcomes, is ‘We’ll just start taking courses at a community college and figure it out later.'"

November 09, 2023

Facing Pressure on Enrollment, Will Colleges Support More Transfer Students?

Only a portion of community college students obtain bachelors degrees. “Right now, the status quo is that supports and advising for transfer students is too little, and too late, and really too absent the presence of the four-year partner,” John Fink told EdSurge.

October 30, 2023

How to Help Students Avoid ‘Random Acts of Dual Credit’

A report released earlier this month found dual credit programs often end up “random acts of dual credit,” meaning those courses on paper could fit into a wide variety of degree programs. John Fink told EdWeek, “We need to not just offer any dual-enrollment courses, but high-quality dual-enrollment courses that are well taught and aligned to students’ interests after high school.”

October 27, 2023

Multiple Measures, Better Outcomes

Inside Higher Ed reports on a recent CAPR study that shows that using multiple measures to decide whether students belong in remedial coursework, instead of using standard placement exams, results in more students taking and succeeding in college-level English and math courses.

October 26, 2023

Growing Enrollment, Shrinking Future

According to enrollment data from the National Student Clearinghouse, total college enrollment rates are up for the first time since 2020, especially at community colleges. Thomas Brock told Inside Higher Ed that some of the more dramatic increases can be attributed to two-year institutions climbing out of the deep post-pandemic hole. The 74 also reported on the data.

October 24, 2023

Boom Time for Maine’s Community Colleges

Enrollment in the state's two-year system hit an all-time high this fall, despite national declines and the state’s aging population. John Fink told Inside Higher Ed that the big takeaway from Maine is that the state is delivering "not just a promise to students [of free college], but a pathway to get them there." 

October 13, 2023

WA Colleges Help Transfer Students Chart a Path to Four-Year Degrees

With the present transfer system, gaps in transfer success are inevitable, John Fink told The Seattle Times. “In so many ways, we’ve set this up not to work for students."

October 10, 2023

A DEEPer Approach to Dual Enrollment

For dual enrollment to be transformational at scale, it needs a revamped strategic approach that aligns better with students’ interests and potential career pathways, and expands access to underserved students, Community College Daily reports.

October 10, 2023

Dual-Credit Programs Are Growing, But Do They Reach the Students Who Need Them Most?

“We need to build and tap into students’ motivation,” John Fink told EducationWeek about rethinking dual credit courses. "If you’re going to broaden access to dual enrollment, you also have to up the supports to make sure students succeed and do well in these courses.”