The future of the nation’s community colleges

May 2, 2012

The high cost of a college education is a difficult pill to swallow for many people who aspire to earn a degree. According to the College Board, the average cost of tuition and fees for the 2011-2012 school year at a four-year, public college or university is $8,244 for in-state residents and $12,526 for those who live out-of-state. At private, four-year colleges and universities, the average tuition is higher - $28,500.

While many moms depend on grants for parents, scholarships for mothers, single mother scholarships and other financial aid to help make their college education more affordable, a large number also tirelessly research their options to find the least expensive school. Often, this is a community college.

According to the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), the nation's more than 1,100 community colleges serve close to half of the undergraduate students in the United States.

But a new report released by the AACC insists that these learning institutions need to undergo some big changes in order to ensure U.S. competitiveness in the future.

"We need to completely reimagine community colleges for today and the future," said Dr. Walter G. Bumphus, AACC's president and CEO, who commissioned the report. "Higher education is struggling with low student success rates and employers complain about inadequate student preparation for the job market. Our underinvestment in higher education not only wastes our human capital, it threatens U.S. global economic leadership, contributes to the erosion of our middle class, and calls into question the viability of the American dream, with its promise of upward mobility for each generation."

The report, "Reclaiming the American Dream: A Report from the 21st-Century Commission on the Future of Community Colleges," outlines seven specific recommendations for reforming the country's community college system.

1. Increase completion rates of community college credentials (certificates and associate degrees) by 50 percent by 2020, while preserving access, enhancing quality, and eradicating attainment gaps associated with income, race, ethnicity, and gender.

2. Dramatically improve college readiness: by 2020, reduce by half the numbers of students entering college unprepared for rigorous college-level work, and double the rate of students who complete developmental education programs and progress to successful completion of related freshman-level courses.

3. Close the American skills gaps by sharply focusing career and technical education on preparing students with the knowledge and skills required for existing and future jobs in regional and global economies.

4. Refocus the community college mission and redefine institutional roles to meet 21st-century educational and employment needs.

5. Invest in support structures to serve multiple community colleges through collaboration among institutions and with partners in philanthropy, government and the private sector.

6. Target public and private investments strategically to create new incentives for educational institutions and their students and to support community college efforts to reclaim the American Dream.

7. Implement policies and practices that promote rigor, transparency, and accountability for results in community colleges.

Be Sociable, Share!

Comments are closed.