Two-year public colleges are often thought of as a better value than their more expensive public and private four-year counterparts, but too many community college students do not complete their programs or are completing degrees that may not lead to upward mobility. How can community colleges increase the rate at which students complete programs that prepare them for post-completion success, whether that is a living-wage job or efficient transfer into a bachelor’s program?
A June webinar explored this question, central to CCRC’s forthcoming book, More Essential Than Ever: Community College Pathways to Educational and Career Success, and previewed lessons from research on guided pathways reforms at over 100 colleges across the country. The authors discussed the progress colleges have made implementing guided pathways “whole-college” reforms and five next frontier strategies for increasing timely and affordable completion of programs that prepare students for success in jobs and further education after graduation.
The presentation slides are available for download, and you can view a recording of the webinar below. More Essential Than Ever is available for preorder and will be released in August. You can read more about the book in a blog series covering the book’s major themes.
