Opinion
Biden’s Free Community College Plan Is Dead. But There Are Other Ways for Congress to Help Students
Teachers College President Thomas Bailey and CCRC Director Thomas Brock wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post about why modest federal investment would go a long way toward enabling community college students to complete their studies and enter the workforce.
What's Working at Michigan Colleges in Remedial Education
This package of stories from Crain's Detroit Business describes how colleges in Southeast Michigan are changing their approaches to developmental education to improve student outcomes. In an op-ed, CCRC Senior Research Scholar Nikki Edgecombe argued that institutions must update their understanding of "college readiness" and expand immediate access to college-level mathematics and English courses. Meanwhile, CCRC Affiliate James Jacobs wrote that developmental education reform will improve graduation rates.
Rethinking Community College Workforce Programs
In Inside Higher Ed, CCRC Research Affiliate Jim Jacobs argues that community colleges need to consider whether their workforce development programs are helping or hurting their equity missions. He explains how four components of successful workforce programs could be reimagined to support learners from diverse backgrounds.
Taking Collective Ownership Over Improving Student Learning Using Lesson Study
CCRC Senior Research Associate and Program Lead Susan Bickerstaff wrote a blog post for the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges about Lesson Study, a professional development opportunity that provides a framework for faculty to take collective ownership over examining and improving student learning.
Rethinking Dual Enrollment to Advance Equitable Transfer
In Inside Higher Ed, CCRC's John Fink and Davis Jenkins argue that colleges should utilize dual enrollment programs to expand college access and offer underserved students an on-ramp to postsecondary education.
Don’t Blame Students for Institutional Barriers to Equitable Transfer Success
In Inside Higher Ed, CCRC Senior Research Associate 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.
Through the Looking Glass
In Inside Higher Ed, CCRC Research Associate Maggie Fay explains how developmental education undermines the ability of students from disadvantaged backgrounds to advance and succeed in higher education, despite their enthusiasm and effort.
Workforce Development and an Opportunity for Change
In Inside Higher Ed, CCRC's Jim Jacobs and Maria Cormier explain that community colleges will need to respond to budget cuts, a pivot to online instruction, and evolving industry and skill needs to ensure their workforce development programs remain relevant in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
FAFSA: Ask Any College Student. The Federal Student Aid Application Is Needlessly Complex.
In USA Today, CCRC Senior Research Scholar Judith Scott-Clayton joins other academics in advocating for the bipartisan FAFSA Simplification Act, which they say would meaningfully improve college affordability for both college students and adults pursuing additional job training.
Neoliberalism Is Not Always a Negative
Many academics oppose the use of market-based principles in higher education. However, as CCRC Research Affiliates Rebecca Natow and Kevin Dougherty write in this Times Higher Education piece, neoliberal policies can positively impact students when implemented thoughtfully.
