CCRC in the News

A new report argues that community colleges in Washington State could help close equity gaps by eliminating developmental education courses and making college-level classes the default. CCRC Senior Research Associate Elizabeth Kopko told The Seattle Times that the amount of time it takes students to complete developmental sequences is often a significant barrier to their success. 

Four-year colleges in Colorado may soon be able to award an associate degree to students who made significant progress on a bachelor's degree but never completed a program. CCRC Senior Research Scholar Davis Jenkins told EdSurge he is skeptical of the program's impact, considering general studies associate degrees tend to have little labor market value. 

Santa Fe Community College, which lost nearly $2 million in tuition and fees last year following steep pandemic-related enrollment declines, was forced to eliminates academic programs and lay off faculty. CCRC Senior Research Scholar Davis Jenkins told Inside Higher Ed that the cuts may be an omen of what's to come on other struggling campuses.

Community colleges need to help students plan for transfer as early as possible so they can ensure they're taking the right courses, CCRC Senior Research Associate John Fink told EdScoop. The colleges should also provide aspiring transfer students with opportunities to connect with professionals and other learners in their desired fields.

Many Democrats, including Sens. Chuck Schumer and Elizabeth Warren, are pressuring President Joe Biden to use an executive order to cancel thousands of dollars of student debt. CCRC Senior Research Scholar Judith Scott-Clayton told PolitiFact that the more ambitiously Biden uses his power to take action, the more likely he is to prompt legal challenges.

The Camden Reach program, which is part of New Jersey's efforts to increase postsecondary attainment among residents, offers high school students the chance to earn college credits for free. CCRC Senior Research Scholar Elisabeth Barnett told The 74 that evidence supports early college high schools.

No state has been hit harder by pandemic-related enrollment declines than California, which saw its community college and university population dwindle by 123,000 students from spring 2020 to spring 2021. Although optimistic that fall enrollment will rebound, CCRC Director Tom Brock told the Los Angeles Times he is concerned that further declines could lead to a spiral of community college funding cuts.

Several historically Black colleges and universities are using federal stimulus money and donations received during last summer's racial justice movement to forgive graduates' student loan debt. CCRC Senior Research Scholar Judith Scott-Clayton, whose work illuminated the racial gap in student loan debt, told Inside Higher Ed that the colleges' actions are admirable, but it's policymakers who really need to take on debt forgiveness.

This Hechinger Report newsletter summarizes CCRC's new studies examining what states and community colleges can do to address the needs of racially minoritized adult learners. CCRC Director Tom Brock emphasized the importance of targeting resources toward specific student subgroups and focusing on cultural sustainability. 

Community colleges across the country are using creative strategies to bring students back and counteract pandemic-induced enrollment declines. CCRC Director Tom Brock told PBS NewsHour that boosting community college enrollment—especially in certain workforce programs—is crucial for the U.S. economy.