The Mixed Methods Blog

Perspectives from our researchers, highlights from recent studies, and other news about CCRC

John Fink is a senior research associate and program lead at the Community College Research Center.

What Happened to Community College Enrollment During the First Years of the Pandemic? It Depends on the Students’ Age

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For the first time following the pandemic, we can examine detailed state- and college-level enrollment trends by age group using the latest federal data. Senior Research Associate and Program Lead John Fink examines these numbers and offers three major takeaways on how community college enrollment changed during the pandemic.

How Many Schools in Your State Shut Out Students From Dual Enrollment or AP?

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This interactive blog post allows you to see what percentage of schools in your state have excluded high school students with disabilities, English language learners, and students by race/ethnicity from college-level coursework.

Make Your Voice Heard for More Actionable, Equity-Focused Dual Enrollment Data

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The Department of Education is considering adjustments to IPEDS to better clarify and capture data on dual enrollment. Comment on the proposal—which would yield data disaggregated by student race/ethnicity and gender—by August 6.

Don’t Blame Students for Institutional Barriers to Equitable Transfer Success

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In this op-ed, John Fink argues that community college transfer pathways are key to improving equity in higher education and outlines four institutional roadblocks that regularly impede transfer student success.

How Equitable Is Access to AP and Dual Enrollment Across States and School Districts?

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This post presents a set of interactive data tools and findings from a CCRC analysis examining racial equity gaps in access to AP and dual enrollment coursework among public high school students during the 2017–18 school year.