NEW YORK, April 12, 2006 — Making the case that educational equity does not end at the secondary school level, the Community College Research Center, in partnership with the newly established Campaign for Educational Equity at Columbia University’s Teachers College, laid out the case that to be truly competitive in today’s workplace, educational success needs to go beyond the 12th grade. Held at Teachers College, the seminar, Community Colleges and Educational Equity, attracted an audience of over 100 from academia, community colleges, and the media.
“It is not good enough to look at high school graduation rates and drop out rates,” said Michael A. Rebell, executive director of The Campaign for Educational Equity and former executive director and chief litigator for the Campaign for Fiscal Equity. “We believe deeply that we must deal with the achievement gaps at all levels—from pre-school through higher education—if we are to provide true educational opportunity and create a competitive workforce that can meet global challenges.”
Thomas Bailey, director of the Community College Research Center, noted that community colleges must devote significant resources to developmental/remedial education because many students arrive with weak academic skills.
“Community colleges enroll almost one half of undergraduate students in the county, yet the funding they receive is less than half of a four-year institution,” noted Bailey. “These institutions have the least amount of money to deal with students who face the most barriers.”
Proving that equity in higher education can be achieved, Nan Poppe, president of the Extended Learning Campus of Portland Community College, and Eduardo Marti, president of Queensborough Community College, spoke about programs and policies at their respective institutions that focus on addressing the achievement gap and providing equity.
Portland Community College’s Gateway to College program, designed to serve dropout youth, created a feeder pattern to reintroduce youth to education and prepare them for eventual success in a fully mainstreamed community college setting. The Gateway to College program is designed to go beyond simply providing access.
“Access without success is a hollow promise,” stated Poppe. “We are helping students build and strengthen academic skills, teach and reinforce positive learning behaviors, and preparing students for success in adult learning environments.”
The Gateway to College program is funded by local K-12 school district dollars. The Gates Foundation, however, is providing funding to replicate the program in 17 other sites with their financing going to planning and start-up costs.
Describing the role that the City University of New York plays in advancing educational equity, Eduardo Marti outlined how a restructured CUNY system has placed community colleges in a greater position of responsibility for the remediation of students who enter four-year colleges. Marti pointed to overall increases in passing rates for reading, writing, and math tests administered upon exit from remedial classes at Queensborough Community College. In order to increase graduation rates and to increase student performance, Marti is pushing to have full scholarships offered for all full-time students who commit to completion of their coursework in two years.
“An open admissions policy can only succeed if community college students are provided with different types of support services than those found at colleges and universities that operate under a selective admissions policy,” said Marti.
