CCRC has long relied on a combination of federal and foundation support to conduct applied research to strengthen community colleges and improve student outcomes. Last year, most of our federal funding was cut, which required us to cease work on several projects and reduce our staff. This spring, we received word that three projects would be reinstated:
- An evaluation of the Federal Work-Study program in a large postsecondary education system. Federal work-study serves more than 600,000 students a year at a cost of nearly $1 billion, but it had never been rigorously evaluated. CCRC is examining the effects of Federal Work-Study on student persistence, academic performance, employment, and other outcomes.
- An evaluation of Virginia’s Get a Skill, Get a Job, Get Ahead (G3) program, which offers financial assistance to low-income students seeking short-term job training in high-demand fields like healthcare, information technology, and manufacturing. CCRC and its research partners at the University of Pennsylvania are examining the implementation and effects of G3 on students’ academic and employment outcomes and considering lessons for Workforce Pell.
- A research network on pandemic recovery strategies that states and colleges put in place to bring students back to the classroom, accelerate their academic progress, and lay a foundation for broader improvements in community college education. With the grant reinstatement, CCRC will partner with Tennessee to take deeper look into online instruction—a practice that has grown more prevalent in community colleges since the pandemic.
At a time when the value of higher education is increasingly called into question, these projects will spotlight efforts to help students earn credentials and succeed in the labor market. We are grateful for the opportunity to resume this work and are committed to producing findings that inform federal and state policy and improve local practice.
Sincerely,
Thomas Brock
