The Mixed Methods Blog

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

Budgets as Value Statements: Mapping How Finance Systems Drive or Reduce Inequities in Community Colleges

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There is no simple recipe for developing an equitable, effective community college funding system. But understanding the challenges facing community colleges and the finance systems that underpin them can help policymakers, educators, and advocates develop new funding approaches. Kate Shaw, Lauren Asher, and Stephanie Murphy share findings from their latest report, Mapping Community College Finance Systems to Develop Equitable and Effective Finance Policy.

The (50) State(s) of Transfer Data

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Students are told that enrolling in a community college is an affordable onramp to a bachelor’s degree. But in reality, only a small percentage of students transfer and graduate. To fix the problem, experts first have to know what’s causing it. Alex Anacki and Jessica Steiger address the current lack of available transfer data.

What is the Role of Community Colleges in Healthcare Training?

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To better understand the role that community colleges play in training healthcare workers, CCRC analyzed data from the U.S. Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)  to describe the availability of health-related programs—including nursing, allied health, and public health—and the number and characteristics of students who completed credentials in those programs. Maria Cormier breaks down what the data suggests about community college healthcare programs.

Guided Pathways at Kirkwood Community College

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Kirkwood Community College's director of guided pathways reflects on the College's reforms and how their efforts have evolved since CCRC's Guided Pathways Summer Institute.

Rethinking Dual Enrollment to Advance Equitable Transfer

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In this op-ed, John Fink and Davis Jenkins argue that dual enrollment programs—which are mired by inequities—should be reconceived to expand college access and offer underserved students an on-ramp to postsecondary education.