Students across the country will soon be able to receive Workforce Pell Grants to use toward tuition and fees for certain short-term workforce training programs.

Established by the in 2025, Workforce Pell Grants expand traditional to programs that are between 8-15 weeks, lead to a high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand job, result in a recognized postsecondary credential, and articulate credit into a certificate or degree program, among other requirements.

In December, the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) held a process to develop new rules for Workforce Pell Grants. In one week, negotiators reached an agreement on , which will be used as the basis of DOE鈥檚 forthcoming consensus rule. That consensus rule will be open to public comment before a final rule is published.

In the meantime, states are working to identify potentially eligible programs ahead of Workforce Pell鈥檚 anticipated launch on July 1, 2026. States play a critical role in implementing Workforce Pell 鈥� under the law and proposed regulations, governors must approve any eligible program before a federal approval process takes place.

However, during a Feb. 11 meeting of the , Jeff Cox, president of the N.C. Community College System, expressed caution about the number of programs that may ultimately qualify for Workforce Pell in the state due to the program鈥檚 federally-established . Eligible programs must demonstrate a 70% completion rate, a 70% job placement rate within 180 days, and a positive return on investment, demonstrated through a value-added .

鈥淛ust out of these initial screens 鈥� the number of hours and then the job placement and the completion rates 鈥� I think only about 4% or so of our overall short-term credential programs are going to qualify,鈥� Cox said.

The status of Workforce Pell in North Carolina

During its February meeting, the council heard an update on the status of Workforce Pell Grant implementation in North Carolina from Andrea DeSantis, assistant secretary for workforce solutions at the N.C. Department of Commerce.

DeSantis opened with an overview of Workforce Pell Grants, highlighting that they provide a new opportunity to quickly move students into the workforce through short-term training programs, but that eligible programs must meet high standards.

鈥淭his is really a huge departure from the way that federal funding happens right now and the accountability measures for institutions,鈥� DeSantis said.

DeSantis then outlined the federal timeline for Workforce Pell, noting that she participated as an alternate negotiator during DOE鈥� negotiated rulemaking process in December. DOE鈥檚 goal is to have a final rule by the spring, and according to , the program should launch on July 1.

鈥淭hat timeline is going to move quick, and that means us as states, we have to move quickly too,鈥� DeSantis said. 鈥淲hat will that mean in July? While we have not heard official dates from the Department of Ed, it means that the Department of Ed intends to be able to start reviewing applications from institutions that have programs that were approved at the state level.鈥�

As states consider potentially eligible programs, DeSantis said that it is not the federal government鈥檚 expectation that all short-term training programs will be eligible for Workforce Pell. Instead, she said, 鈥渟tates should take this as an opportunity to say, 鈥榃hat are the needs in communities, and what programs are really essential for us to improve and fund?’鈥�

DeSantis then provided an update on where North Carolina stands in Workforce Pell implementation. Since November 2025, staff from the Governor鈥檚 Office, Department of Commerce, and higher education agencies have worked with , a national consulting firm, to develop the state鈥檚 Workforce Pell approach.

This includes:

• Defining what a high-wage, high-skill, or in-demand job is: DeSantis said these definitions will build off assets from the within the N.C. Department of Commerce. To define in-demand jobs, DeSantis said LEAD has pulled a list of occupations that are in-demand at both the state and local levels. She added that high-skill jobs are those that require a license or additional postsecondary credential, and that no definition has been determined yet for what qualifies as a high-wage job. Importantly, to be eligible for Workforce Pell, a program must lead to a job that meets at least one of these three criteria. For example, a job that is in-demand but low-wage could still be eligible.
• Defining stackability and portability: These are two additional federal requirements for Workforce Pell 鈥� programs must result in a recognized credential, and they must articulate credit into a related certificate or degree program.
• Developing an application process: DeSantis said the group will also develop an application process that accounts for the data that a program must report and the high standards it must meet to qualify for Workforce Pell. 鈥淗ow do we leverage existing assets within the Department of Commerce and our as a potential pathway for institutions to apply?鈥� DeSantis said.
• Determining how Workforce Pell can be leveraged for apprenticeships: DeSantis said that Workforce Pell can be used to cover portions of the cost of related instruction for a Reegistered Apprenticeship Program, which is a component of the policy the group is working on.

In April, the state hopes to have a draft policy and application for Workforce Pell that would be available for public comment. On May 13, the , the state鈥檚 workforce development board, would review the policy and application.

鈥淎ssuming that the federal level has put out their final guidance, we would then plan to have an application available sometime in late May,鈥� said DeSantis. 鈥淭his would give us enough time to approve initial applications before the July deadline.鈥�

DeSantis also noted that the N.C. Community College System (NCCCS) has already published an initial , which is part of the system鈥檚 . This list includes short-term workforce courses and credentials that meet the time limits required by Workforce Pell 鈥� but not all of those programs will necessarily meet the grant鈥檚 additional eligibility requirements.

鈥淚nstitutions have received individualized data to see, 鈥極K, which programs do we offer at our own institutions 鈥� not just across the state 鈥� that we think could be eligible for Workforce Pell,鈥� based on the hour requirements, as well as that completion and job placement data, which is going to be really important,鈥� said DeSantis.

Although all Workforce Pell programs must have existed in their current format for at least one year, DeSantis said this is an opportunity for community colleges to have conversations with employers and consider what new programs or adjustments to current programs may be needed to meet workforce needs in the coming years.

鈥淭his is expected to be a slow start,鈥� DeSantis said of Workforce Pell鈥檚 launch. 鈥淭his is not intended to approve every program, but to really be about intentional design at the state and local level.鈥�

Cox echoed that sentiment, saying he is 鈥渁 little bit underwhelmed鈥� by the number of programs that may qualify for Workforce Pell.

鈥淚鈥檓 excited about it, but I also want to inject a little bit of caution around the level of impact we鈥檙e going to have right out of the gate,鈥� he said.

Updates on the council鈥檚 work

In addition to hearing this update on Workforce Pell, the council also reflected on its work in 2025 and discussed other key efforts that will help advance its goals.

In June 2025, the council outlining the state鈥檚 goals for workforce development, which are separated into four objectives: increasing attainment, expanding work-based education, focusing on key sectors, and highlighting workforce programs through a public outreach campaign. In December, the council released a that outlines 30 strategies to advance those goals.

Then, in January, the council鈥檚 co-chairs joined Gov. Josh Stein at an event to announce the state鈥檚 ranking as first for workforce development by .

鈥淲e now stand at a pivotal moment where strategy development is transitioning into action,鈥� said N.C. Secretary of Commerce Lee Lilley, who is also a council co-chair, at the February meeting. 鈥淎s we move forward today, our focus shifts toward implementation, accountability, and metrics, translating these strategies into meaningful outcomes for North Carolina鈥檚 workforce.鈥�

The council heard a short presentation on how the relates to the work of the council.

Annie Izod, executive director of the NCWorks Commission, shared that as of February, the council and NCWorks Commission had aligned each entities鈥� four committees. In December 2026, the council committees will sunset, and the NCWorks Commission will continue to monitor progress toward the state鈥檚 workforce development goals.

New funding for youth apprenticeships

On Feb. 10, Stein announced that he is directing discretionary funds allotted through the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) to to expand youth apprenticeships.

According to a , NC Career Launch 鈥渉elps businesses develop registered apprenticeship programs for students beginning in grades 11 and 12 in high-demand sectors like child care, health care, skilled trades, and advanced manufacturing.鈥�

This investment is connected to one of the council鈥檚 : to double the number of apprentices in the state, including both registered apprenticeships and apprenticeships. According to , youth apprenticeships can begin as early as 16 and are available in more than 1,200 occupations.

During the council鈥檚 February meeting, Kindl Detar, policy adviser to Stein, said youth apprenticeships allow employers to grow local talent early before students may drop out of the , and they allow students to earn and learn with pathways to career opportunities in their local communities.

According to Detar, the first year of the investment will focus on expanding existing youth apprenticeship programs that have wait lists and on expanding youth apprenticeships in the western part of the state as it continues to recover from .

鈥淲e know that making these apprenticeships work will require engagement from our employers,鈥� said Detar. 鈥淚n his announcement yesterday, the governor had a special call-out to employers to think about how these models of youth apprenticeships 鈥� can be beneficial to them, to not only provide opportunity, but to create that local workforce that they need.鈥�

NCCareers.org sees record number of users

First launched in July 2020, is the state鈥檚 career information system. It aggregates key information on jobs, wages, and pathways, providing career exploration tools to help North Carolinians on their education-to-workforce journey.

During the council鈥檚 meeting, Jamie Vaughn, senior analyst for market intelligence at the North Carolina Department of Commerce, shared that the website had 1 million users in the last 12 months 鈥� representing 95% growth from the previous year.

The website has information on wages and demand across more than 800 occupations that can be sorted by 16 sub-state regions. According to Vaughn, more than half of school districts in the state are to help meet the that all middle and high school students complete a career development plan.

Vaughn also previewed new features that will be added to the website, including business listings of local companies that may hire employees in specific occupations, and information to help high school students better understand what CTE courses are available at their school that will lead to CTE pathways.

Cecilia Holden, president and CEO of , said that one component of myfutureNC鈥檚 proposed Workforce Act of 2026 for the legislative short session is $1.5 million for NCCareers.org, which would equate to $1.50 per user based on 1 million annual users.

For more information on NCCareers.org, see this

The council鈥檚 next meeting will be held on May 13 from 10 to 11:30 a.m.

This first appeared on and is republished here under a .

Editor鈥檚 note: This article is part of a series on the intersections of community colleges and child care.聽.

Community college students are often balancing lives and responsibilities outside of school 鈥� from work to family obligations. For students with young children, the struggle to find and afford child care can make a tricky balance close to impossible.

Colleges across the state are finding ways to lessen the burden of child care challenges for their students and communities, from providing on-campus child care and subsidies to strengthening and expanding the child care workforce.

And state leaders are calling for more colleges to follow suit.

鈥淚鈥檝e been saying, all of the 58 need to have child care,鈥� said 鈥� referring to the state鈥檚 58 community colleges 鈥� at the December 2025 meeting of the , which he co-chairs.

On-campus child care is also a priority of Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt, a Democrat, who co-chairs the task force with Burgin. Hunt鈥檚 says on-campus centers would 鈥渓everage our excellent community colleges, strengthen experiential programs for child care professionals, and increase options for students and working families.鈥�

Child care is a critical yet for colleges and policymakers to consider as they work toward and reengage . Models and investments that provide child care for parents as they earn credentials and degrees matter for student access, , and , research says. These strategies also have intergenerational benefits, , relieving families from poverty while exposing children to high-quality early childhood experiences.

When students cannot access or afford care, it risks 鈥渢heir personal investment in education and federal and state investments in postsecondary success,鈥� who studied student parents鈥� experiences and colleges鈥� child care approaches at 10 community colleges across the country, including in Winston-Salem.

鈥淲ithin a broken child care system, colleges alone can鈥檛 solve the workforce, supply, quality, and affordability issues that plague families, providers, and communities,鈥� the New America researchers write. 鈥淪till, there is reason for hope, and colleges can adopt strategies to better meet the needs of their parenting students.鈥�

Community college students with young children face the same child care crisis all families are experiencing.

About 44% of the child care need in North Carolina was unmet by its supply, according to using 2020 data by the Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska. The analysis identified 257,670 children without access to child care within a reasonable distance.

The following map shows the real-time supply of North Carolina licensed child care providers 鈥� as well as all 58 community colleges, including their satellite campuses. Use the filters to explore availability through different geographic lenses: by congressional or state legislative districts, counties, regions, or census tracts.

If a region is red, that signifies a child care supply and demand gap, or a 鈥渄esert,鈥� which in this map means there are at least 50 children with all parents working and that there are at least three children per child care slot in that area.

The map defaults to showing regions as the geographic boundary. To view child care 鈥渄eserts,鈥� toggle on smaller geographic boundaries. For example, when viewing the map by county, eight counties are red. When viewing the map by census tract, many more areas are red.

The orange circles with graduation caps represent community college campuses. The inclusion of community college campuses on this map allows community college leaders to assess if they have available space, on a main or satellite campus, that is located in a child care desert.

Click on a county or region for more information, including the average cost of child care, median family income, and the types of child care programs in the area.

This map was developed by Child Care Resources Inc. (CCRI) in partnership with NC Child Care Resource & Referral and the NC Division of Child Development and Early Education.

The number of licensed child care programs in the state by 5.8% during the five years when providers were receiving pandemic-era stabilization grants, first from the federal American Rescue Plan Act and then partially continued by the state legislature.

to 6.1% between March 2025, when those grants ended, and September 2025. Family child care homes, licensed home-based child care programs, made up 97% of that net loss.

Advocates have called for child care investments since the pandemic brought increased costs and increased competition for employees. Providers were able to raise teacher wages with the infusion of stabilization grants. Without it, they are struggling to compete with retail and food service jobs. This leaves them stuck between increasing tuition for parents who cannot afford to pay more and losing teachers who cannot afford to make less.

The average cost of child care statewide is $10,481 per year, according to state data in the above map. The median wage for child care workers was $14.20 in 2024, .

Advocates say state and federal public investments are necessary to create a system that provides high-quality care and education at a price that is affordable to families.

Research has linked high-quality early care and education with higher academic, social, and economic outcomes for students and communities. In North Carolina, affordable, accessible child care up to 68,000 jobs, increase the state鈥檚 annual economic input by up to $13.3 billion, and boost its GDP by up to $7.5 billion, according to from the state Department of Commerce and nonprofit NC Child.

Child care access matters for community college students

Child care access can be a make-or-break factor for student parents. Seventy-one percent of caregiving students nationwide reported that their caregiving responsibilities could lead them to dropping out of community college in the .

The same survey found student parents were highly motivated to succeed. They were less likely than students without caregiving responsibilities to cite academic unpreparedness as a reason for stopping out. Caregiving students reported higher engagement across benchmarks like academic challenge, student effort, and student-faculty interaction compared to students without caregiving responsibilities. Caregiving students also reported higher GPAs than their non-caregiving peers.

This is despite many factors that 鈥渃ould pose challenges to student engagement鈥� 鈥� parent students were more likely to be older, to be women, to be first-generation, to be Pell-eligible, and to be working 30 hours or more per week compared to non-caregiving students.

Student parents who persist through a credential or degree are more likely to attend colleges that provide child care supports like full-time care, drop-in care, or subsidies 鈥� as well as support with basic needs 鈥� than student parents who drop out, according to .

The same research found child care services like full-time and drop-in care could be the convincing factor for a little over half of students surveyed who stopped out to come back to school. Free tuition was the top factor, with 72% of student parents reporting they would return if the cost of tuition was covered.

EdNC has identified three primary ways community colleges can strengthen child care access and affordability: providing on-campus child care, utilizing the state鈥檚 child care grant program, and expanding the early childhood workforce, including through child care academies.

Providing campus-based child care

Community colleges across North Carolina are supporting student parents鈥� child care access, from hosting full-time, on-campus centers to providing drop-in and after-school options.

Colleges have fewer on-campus child care options than they used to. of federal data, 29 community colleges in North Carolina offered dependent care on campus in 2004.

In May 2025, there were 17 colleges offering on-campus child care, according to EdNC鈥檚 analysis. Twenty-one colleges had closed on-campus child care, and 20 had never operated on-campus child care, based on what our analysis was able to document.

The on-campus child care programs that remain vary in their design 鈥� from operating hours to funding sources and populations served 鈥� but can provide starting points for colleges looking to expand access in their regions.

Thirteen of the 17 colleges providing on-campus care are . Three are Head Start programs, and at least five offer .

According to EdNC鈥檚 analysis, five child care models exist at community colleges across the state:

• Licensed, on-campus child care, currently provided at 13 community colleges;
• Both licensed, on-campus child care and drop-in care, currently provided at Cape Fear Community College (operating both) and Forsyth Technical Community College (operating a lab, outsourcing drop in care to a local provider, and providing care for particular on-campus events);
• Head Start, currently at Blue Ridge Community College, Halifax Community College, and Lenoir Community College;
• After-school and drop-in care, currently provided at Sandhills Community College; and
• Drop-in care, currently provided at Central Carolina Community College.

The programs braid parent tuition, along with federal, state, and local private and public funding streams, to operate their programs.

They simultaneously support student parents and their children. Kids on Campus, a national effort to expand on-campus Head Start programs from the聽(ACCT) and the聽聽(NHSA), says providing child care to community college students can have lasting, two-generation effects.

鈥淭wo of the most effective strategies for reducing poverty,鈥� says a March 2025 Kids on Campus聽, 鈥渁re providing high-quality early childhood education for young children and supporting parents through education and training that will advance their career goals.鈥�

Full-time, formal child care centers are not the only strategy available to colleges. They also do not always meet the needs of parenting students, according to New America鈥檚 research.聽Colleges should consider options like drop-in care, after-school care for older children, and financial support for off-campus options that work with students鈥� schedules like family child care homes or informal care arrangements with family and friends.

Drop-in care, which in North Carolina is limited to four hours per day, can provide more flexible options for students needing irregular or unpredictable care. Cape Fear Community College (CFCC) launched its drop-in care model at no cost to students. The program is partly funded through a grant from the聽, created by the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners from the sale of New Hanover Regional Medical Center to Novant Health in 2020.

The program has since moved to a more accessible location for children on campus and doubled the number of children it can serve at once from 20 to 40 students.

In 2025, CFCC President Jim Morton told EdNC that he offers this advice to other community college leaders:

You鈥檙e here to serve a community, and to educate and train them so they can have a livable wage and a higher standard of living鈥� Child care is really a big challenge and, next to financial need, that was always one of the higher needs鈥� There are so many issues and other reasons for students to drop out, and so when we find them, we try to pick them off where we can.

鈥� CFCC President Jim Morton

Parents鈥� child care needs do not stop when young children enter school. At , school-age children of students and staff can attend after-school programming through an on-site partnership with Boys & Girls Club of America.

Students also often need evening or weekend care. Additionally, students might need or prefer access to family child care homes, which are more likely to meet those needs at irregular hours, and family, friend, and neighbor care.

Asking students about their caregiving roles and needs is a crucial first step in supporting parenting students, the New America report found. Then, colleges should use those insights to design their approaches both for direct service provision and financial support.

Utilizing the state鈥檚 unique child care grant program

Child care costs make it harder for student parents to afford college. , released in September 2025, provides a new way for colleges and policymakers to think about affordability by including costs outside of tuition, including child care.

In 2019, the organization鈥檚 鈥渄ispelled the myth that a student can still work their way through college in a minimum-wage job.鈥� Then the organization decided to look at the finances of student parents, aiming to calculate 鈥渢he actual annual cost of pursuing a degree.鈥�

In North Carolina, child care and other costs like housing and transportation mean community college parenting students pay, on average, $16,700 more per year than their non-parenting peers.

When taking into account these costs relative to student income and other grant supports, the average affordability gap for student parents in the state is $19,645, which would require 54.2 hours of work per week at minimum wage to close. That鈥檚 compared to an affordability gap for non-parenting students of $2,993, which would require 8.3 hours of work per week at minimum wage to close.

North Carolina is one of only five states that allocates funding for child care grants for community college students.

In 2024-25, the state allotted just over $3 million for the , distributed across all 58 community colleges. Each college received a base $20,000 allotment, plus $10.16 per full-time equivalent student the college was budgeted to serve. Eighty-four percent of the funding was spent, up from about 77% in the 2023-24 year. The average grant award was $3,726.34, and 737 students received funding.

Not all of the funding was used in the 2024-25 fiscal year, but $211,000 more in grant funding was disbursed than in the previous year.

The grants can help students pay for licensed or unlicensed care from individuals or organizations. Grant funds can cover the cost of child care provided by nannies, relatives, after-school programs, and licensed and unlicensed providers, but not parents themselves. Students must provide an invoice after child care services are provided that passes 鈥渁 reasonable test for cost.鈥�

Colleges are supposed to work with local social services agencies that distribute child care subsidy funding to coordinate aid for students. Colleges should not require official documentation of students鈥� subsidy application and denial if it creates a barrier or is too time-consuming, Brenda Burgess, associate director of student aid at community college system, told EdNC.

The timing of the state budget and the reimbursement model make it challenging for colleges to get all available funds to student parents. For example, when a budget is not passed by the time classes start in August, community colleges do not receive the grant funds until after the semester begins. Once they do, some parents have made other arrangements. A community college system said the delays cause some students to postpone enrollment.

The same report states that having to reimburse students or providers after services are given creates challenges. Students often cannot afford to make up-front payments, even if reimbursed down the line, and child care providers rely on timely payments.

Some colleges are tweaking policies and taking advantage of the grant program鈥檚 flexibilities to ensure the grants reach the students who need them and do not cause unnecessary stress for students, providers, or college staff. Read more about how colleges can make the grant work best:

Training child care teachers, launching academies

Community colleges do not just support the child care needs of their own students. They also expand child care capacity by serving as the main sites for the education and training of the early childhood workforce, including child care professionals.

There were 5,524 students enrolled in the early childhood education curriculum program across North Carolina community colleges , up 5% from the year before and nearly reaching pre-pandemic enrollment levels.

North Carolina is home to several programs that provide financial assistance to early childhood professionals looking to further their education, most often at community colleges. , from the nonprofit , assist child care teachers with the cost of tuition for associate, bachelor鈥檚, and master鈥檚 degrees. , from the same organization, provides wage supplements for child care teachers based on their education level. , expanded and financially supported by a recent effort called , provide pathways for new and seasoned early childhood teachers to work and go to school at the same time while increasing their compensation.

Beyond providing multiple early childhood curriculum programs, community colleges also offer alternatives for individuals to receive the , which is required to be a lead teacher in a licensed child care classroom.

With the industry , fast-track options called 鈥渃hild care academies鈥� emerged in the last two years as another quick and affordable option for individuals interested in working in child care.

In September 2025, at least 11 of these academies operating across the state, which prepare teachers through anywhere from 20 to 64 hours of class time to enter the classroom at little to no cost to the participant. These models were started and operated by a combination of community colleges and local early childhood organizations like Smart Start partnerships and Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) agencies. Most were partnerships between at least two of these institutions.

These academies differ depending on local priorities. Some academies, which EdNC鈥檚 analysis described as the 鈥渃lassroom-ready model,鈥� give individuals what they need to start working in the classroom, including providing basic health and safety training and covering criminal background checks required to work in licensed settings.

A second approach to these academies, described by EdNC鈥檚 analysis as the 鈥渢eaching credential model,鈥� takes the basic training from the classroom-ready model and adds coursework from EDU 119, the introductory early childhood community college course. This model gives teachers a continuing education credit (EDU 3119) that they can then build upon at any community college and provides teachers with the credential required to be a lead teacher.

In December, the state Division of Child Development and Early Education, under the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, with 16 institutions of higher education 鈥斅�13 of which are community colleges 鈥� to launch new child care academies. Each institution is expected to operate at least three academies through July 2026. The models are funded through the federal .

鈥淣orth Carolina鈥檚 early learning system depends on a strong, well-prepared workforce, and the Child Care Academies are designed to meet that need head on,鈥� said聽DHHS Deputy Secretary for Opportunity and Well-Being Michael Leighs . 鈥淏y providing free high-quality training, we鈥檙e opening doors for new educators while supporting families and ensuring children across our state have access to safe and nurturing care.鈥�

The following colleges received funding to start academies:

• Appalachian State University
• Bladen Community College
• Central Carolina Community College
• Central Piedmont Community College
• Davidson-Davie Community College
• Durham Technical Community College
• Elizabeth City State University
• Forsyth Technical Community College
• Guilford Technical Community College
• Montgomery Community College
• Nash Community College
• Pitt Community College
• Roanoke-Chowan Community College
• Sandhills Community College
• The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Wilson Community College

Shifting culture

The New America research project of 10 community colleges鈥� approaches to supporting parenting students鈥� child care needs led to recommendations and for .

In addition to models like on-campus care and subsidies, the project recommended several ways to integrate child care and family-friendly policies into colleges鈥� overall approaches.

Colleges, the researchers write, should include child care when writing their strategic plans and equity goals. They should collect data on students鈥� caregiving roles and needs. And they should consider centralizing child care services and/or coordinating with student services like housing referrals, food assistance, and transportation help.

鈥淪uch models ensure parenting students aren鈥檛 left to piece together services on their own,鈥� the report says. 鈥淭hey address the reality of time poverty and can improve retention and completion.鈥�

The report references Forsyth Tech鈥檚 as an example of a one-stop shop that improves student parents鈥� experiences accessing several kinds of support.

Maya Clay, a Forsyth Tech student parent , said the support of SPARC and Shanta Reddick, director of and adult learner success, 鈥渨as like hope brightening my future.鈥�

鈥淏eing able to have somebody in your corner, who just wasn鈥檛 there to support you financially but emotionally, and like making sure you鈥檙e successful, and being able to link you to other resources, makes being a student parent here so different,鈥� Clay said.

Partnering with early childhood support organizations and adopting family-friendly policies make a difference in campus culture and student success, according to the New America research project.

In North Carolina, some colleges are co-locating or partnering with Smart Start partnerships and CCR&R agencies. These organizations鈥� staff have expertise in connecting parents with child care options and other family resources.

Forsyth Tech鈥檚 Reddick has a close relationship with a local CCR&R coordinator, which, the New America report found, facilitates 鈥渨arm hand-offs and personalized referrals.鈥�

(BCC) is using a former elementary school to co-locate Bladen Smart Start鈥檚 headquarters and the college鈥檚 culinary and agribusiness programs. Additionally, four classrooms have been set aside with future plans for child care for the children of parents.

The effort is the result of collaboration between BCC, the Bladen County Board of Commissioners,聽聽(BCS), and聽.

The New America research says family-friendly policies beyond child care are also important, including virtual options for students when child care arrangements fall through and clarification on when children are welcome on campus.

In addition to providing after-school care for students鈥� families and community members, is also the only community college in the state designated a employer, a certification workplaces receive when their policies reflect best practices in early childhood and family well-being.

The certification, the effort鈥檚 website reads, 鈥渋s not just a badge. It鈥檚 a marker on your journey to create a family friendly workplace, and sends a clear message: you care about your employees, their families, and their children 鈥� the future workforce of North Carolina.鈥�

Sandhills has prioritized creating a family-friendly workplace by providing after-school and drop-in care, paid parental leave, flexible work options, among other policies.

鈥淚nvest in your employees, their values, and their families, and they鈥檙e going to work harder for you. It鈥檚 a pretty simple concept,鈥� said Taylor McCaskill, the college鈥檚 senior director of workforce development and corporate partnerships, as reported by Alexandra Quintero.

Sandhills also has plans to open a Center for Excellence in Child Care through a partnership between the college, (the local Smart Start partnership for Moore County), Southern Pines Land & Housing Trust, and the Moore County Chamber of Commerce.

The project, which is still in the fundraising stages, would renovate two buildings. One would be a high-quality child care program to serve the neighborhood and act as a lab school for community college students studying early childhood to observe best practices and gain hands-on experience in the classroom. The second building would house both early childhood faculty from the community college and the staff of Partners for Children & Families. Co-locating the staff would help to provide coordinated wrap-around family support, said Stuart Mills, executive director of Partners for Children & Families.

Mills emphasized that the project is born out of an ongoing, close partnership between the organization and the college, and is just one example of the ways they collaborate. Smart Start staff provide training at the local child care academies, some of which are housed at the community college. Two members of the college staff serve on the organization鈥檚 board of directors. And both Partners for Children & Families and the college are leading members of the local Chamber of Commerce鈥檚 Child Care Task Force, which is working on long-term child care solutions for the entire community.

Community college faculty and leaders are participating in similar local task forces across the state. The task forces are often hosted and convened by chambers of commerce.

Community colleges have a role in advocating for systemic solutions, , one of the New America researchers.

鈥淏y supporting early education advocacy in their communities, they can help secure the child care infrastructure that both parenting students and their employees need,鈥� Baker writes.

When community college child care efforts are supported by outside funding, they can be powerful tools for colleges in their roles as employers, as educational institutions, and as community anchors, state leaders say. Utilizing the capacity of educational institutions, including community colleges, is part of the approach of working on long-term child care solutions that strengthen families and the state economy.

Samantha Cole, child care business liaison at the North Carolina Department of Commerce, said the task force has found that these efforts are working well for those participating, but are 鈥渉yper-localized鈥� in funding source, design, and reach.

Cole said more peer-to-peer collaboration between colleges could help scale effective approaches to other communities.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not like you鈥檙e hearing that there鈥檚 a ton of external communication about the successes of these projects and programs,鈥� Cole said at the December meeting of the task force. 鈥淲e鈥檇 certainly like to see more of that. We think it might help encourage other campuses.鈥�

Editor鈥檚 note: This article includes previous reporting by Mebane Rash, Katie Dukes, and Sophia Luna.

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Kurt Micklo lost interest in academics after he failed to make the basketball team as a sophomore at Chapin High School. Soon after, he fathered a son and began to work full time, which put him further behind in his studies.

A counselor finally advised him during his junior year that he should withdraw and try to earn a GED. He dropped out and 鈥� through hard work 鈥� found professional success as a general manager of a subcontracting logistics company. However, the lack of a high school diploma haunted him. He wants one to give his family 鈥� especially his mother 鈥� another reason to be proud of him.

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A busy work and family schedule have kept him from returning to school, but the flexibility of a new state program aimed at people aged 18 and older without a high school diploma will allow him to earn a diploma and a college career and technical education, or CTE, credential for programs such as health care, welding or computer science at the same time.

The concept of Opportunity High School Diploma was part of House Bill 8, which the state Legislature passed in 2023. The state funneled about $2 million into this program to help the approximately including about 30,000 adult El Pasoans, without a diploma to earn the academic credits most of them will need to acquire higher-paying jobs. The program is scheduled to launch in spring 2026.

鈥淚f I could juggle it, I鈥檇 be pretty interested鈥� in the program, said 34-year-old Micklo, a father of three ages 15, 10 and 5. He is the general manager of three warehouses, two in El Paso and one in Laredo, Texas, as well as four sites near the international ports of entry with Mexico in El Paso, Tornillo and Santa Teresa, New Mexico, were commodities are offloaded.. 鈥淚t would make my stepfather (a retired educator) and my mother happy if I earned my high school diploma.鈥�

El Paso Community College is one of five community college districts in the state selected for the design and implementation phases of this program. The other institutions in the design phase are Alamo Colleges District, Austin Community College, Dallas College and San Jacinto College near Houston.

They work under the direction of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. The board will review the instructional outcomes and performance expectations that the college collaborators created during an October meeting. Once finalized, the college faculty will begin to work with school districts to design the curriculum.

The program is flexible for students who probably work full time and have family obligations. Courses would have suggested timelines, but students would turn in assignments as their schedule allowed through the end of the term.

Micklo, a Northeast resident, said the promised flexibility is the only reason he might consider the program. As for his credential, he said he would need to review EPCC鈥檚 career and technical education options. The college offers more than 100 career programs such as HVAC, or heating, ventilation and air conditioning, and electrical, automotive or diesel technologies.

Students will be co-enrolled in competency-based high school curriculum such as math, civics, sciences and communication, and a career and technical workforce program. Competency based courses are focused more on a students鈥� mastery of a skill or subject than the amount of time spent in a classroom.

Isela Casta帽贸n Williams, professor and coordinator of EPCC鈥檚 teacher preparation programs, is in charge of the college鈥檚 13-member team. She called the project a 鈥渕onumental task鈥� because of its scope and uniqueness. She said her team, and its counterparts, played a critical role in the design phase.

鈥淔aculty at EPCC are very innovative,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think that my colleagues have approached this process with a great deal of enthusiasm. We鈥檙e always looking to provide better services and educational experiences to the community we serve.鈥�

EPCC faculty advocated for the program to be designed to accommodate English Second Language and English Language Learner populations, a THECB spokesman said in a July 1 statement. He said last year that the board selected EPCC for the project鈥檚 design phase because of its border insights, and because its CTE degrees and credentials are in line with the program.

While the state wants to attract students aged 18 and older, EPCC officials will aim for people 25 and older so as to not compete with K-12 school districts that have their own dropout recovery programs. EPCC, which will offer the program at its five campuses, expects some of the program鈥檚 younger students to come from rural areas outside El Paso.

Steven E. Smith, vice president of Instruction and Workforce Education at EPCC, said the state will provide funds to the colleges to cover tuition for initial cohorts. He expects the first groups will range from 30 to 50 students and scale up from there.

鈥淲e think this is a big market in El Paso, and I think once the word starts to get out, that will grow tremendously,鈥� Smith said.

The administrator said that he would work on ways to market the program later this month with the college鈥檚 External Relations, Communication & Development Division. He said the college would work with school district partners to build lists of potential OHSD students.

鈥淎s you might imagine, that is a pretty difficult population to identify and reach out to because they are not in the system anymore,鈥� Smith said.

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By 2:45 p.m. the regular school day at August Boeger Middle School had already ended, but one class is about to start. More than 20 eighth graders drop their backpacks and settle into desks 鈥� not for extra credit but for college credit.

These 13- and 14-year-old students in East San Jose are taking their first college course, an entry-level class on career planning. This middle school is one of the first in the state to offer a college-level course. In the coming years, the San Jose Evergreen Community College District wants all middle school students in this school district to be able to complete three college courses before they start high school, and soon, the district plans to offer other courses, such as聽sociology and ethnic studies, said Beatriz Chaidez, the chancellor for the community college district.

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Middle schoolers have long been eligible to enroll in college classes in California, though only a few, high-achieving students actually do it. By offering a college class at a middle school 鈥� especially one in a high-poverty area 鈥斅爐he community college district is looking to make that enrollment easier. The class is taught by a middle school staff member, and it鈥檚 reserved exclusively for middle school students.

But with so few programs, there is little research about whether students are benefitting, and the local faculty union is worried middle school students might not be ready.

Chaidez disagrees. 鈥淣avigating (college) as early as middle school is unheard of in their community,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o when they experience success, it really motivates them to continue.鈥�

California is increasingly pushing high schools to offer community college classes directly to students during the regular school day, a set-up known as 鈥渄ual enrollment.鈥� Unlike AP classes, which include expensive exams and are limited to certain subjects and high-performing students, these community college classes cover a range of topics and are open to all students. By 2030, California Community Colleges Chancellor Sonya Chiristian wants all high school students to graduate with

Chaidez wants to go further. She wants every local high school student to be able to complete聽about 20 college courses by the time they graduate 鈥� enough to earn an associate鈥檚 degree.

CalMatters reached out to the college district鈥檚 faculty union, which was surprised to learn the district is offering classes at a middle school.

鈥淭his opens up some problems,鈥� said Jessica Breheny, an English professor and the union鈥檚 vice president. 鈥淚鈥檓 sure there are 12-year-olds that are college-ready, but there are just less of them and it鈥檚 less likely. Developmentally, they have other things going on.鈥�

Research that high schoolers who take college classes are more likely to attend college and graduate, but there鈥檚 little research on how middle school students fare, said John Fink, a senior researcher at Columbia University鈥檚 Community College Research Center. 鈥淣ationally, and in most states, this is very, very rare, and in many states this is not allowed.鈥� Instead, he said the focus is typically on enrolling more 10th, 11th and 12th graders in college courses.

A college-level course, with a few middle school games

About 10% of California鈥檚 high school students took a community college class in the 2021-22 school year, according to by professors at UC Davis using the most recent data. California鈥檚 community college system doesn鈥檛 track how many middle school students take college courses.

So far, the Mount Pleasant Elementary School District, which includes August Boeger Middle School, offers only one college course, called 鈥淐areer Planning,鈥� and it鈥檚 almost indistinguishable from any other class on its campus. The college course is taught in a regular middle school classroom, and the professor, Oscar Lamas, already works at the middle school, where he鈥檚 a counselor. Perhaps the only noticeable difference is the timing: The middle school day ends at 2:30 p.m. and Lamas鈥� course starts at 2:45. He鈥檚 paid separately by the community college to teach the course.

Career Planning helps students learn about , practice resume-writing and learn psychological theories related to professional success. A governing board of college district professors, known as the Academic Senate, sets the objectives for each college course, but Lamas has broad discretion in teaching it. The Academic Senate responsible for setting the parameters of Lamas鈥� course did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

The dean of the community college鈥檚 counseling department, Victor Garza, refused an interview request from CalMatters but issued a written statement. Garza said the middle school class is akin to other dual enrollment courses, which maintain the college鈥檚 鈥渁cademic rigor.鈥�

鈥淪ome adjustments might be needed to cater to the unique needs and experiences鈥� of students, he added.

On a Thursday before spring break, Lamas tries to make his class more fun by breaking the students into five teams to play a Jeopardy-style quiz game on the topic of the day, .

Natalie Mendoza, 14, becomes the default spokesperson of her team, named the 鈥淭acos R Us Club,鈥� but she answers the first question wrong, putting her team back 300 points and prompting her classmates to burst into chatter and analyze their mistakes.

As part of the class, she has to study a career, write a short essay about it and present it at a career fair. She picked intellectual property law. 鈥淎 lot of people say I鈥檓 assertive,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 a really good trait for a lawyer, and I think it鈥檇 be fun to fight for people who have created stuff.鈥�

Natalie said she鈥檇 be the first in her family to attend college but she鈥檚 already planning to go and has a few schools in mind, including UC Berkeley and San Jose State. If she does attend one of those schools, her grade in this counseling class would be part of her official college transcript.

Breheny, with the union, said she鈥檚 concerned about the quality of the classes, especially once the college district begins teaching other subjects, such as ethnic studies.

鈥淔aculty designed their courses for adult learners,鈥� Breheny said. An ethnic studies class may cover topics such as sexual violence and genocide, she added 鈥� topics that may be difficult to convey to a middle schooler. 鈥淪ome of the material assumes a certain knowledge about the world, about politics, which you may not have at 11, 12, 13 years old.鈥�

High schools offer few dual enrollment classes

August Boeger Middle School sits at the base of the Diablo Range mountains, tucked between the ranch-style homes and strip malls that color East San Jose. Teachers and staff greet each other with mucho gusto instead of hello. All around the open-air campus, murals tell the story of the region鈥檚 multi-cultural heritage, especially its Mexican and Chicano roots.

That celebration of culture is a direct response to a history of adversity, Lamas said. 鈥淓ast San Jose has always been a marginalized, disadvantaged environment.鈥� As a result, schools in the community contend with education disparities, he said, such as a high dropout rate and a high teen pregnancy rate.

Offering a college class to these middle school students allows them to 鈥渟ee a possibility for their future that doesn鈥檛 exist within these walls here鈥� and can inspire them to reach for a higher goal, said Marisa Pe帽a, a school advisor.

Male students, Black and Latino students and students from rural areas in the community college courses offered at California鈥檚 school districts. California lawmakers have signed numerous bills in the hopes of expanding access but certain regions in the state, such as Los Angeles, enroll a higher percentage of students.

Natalie said she hopes to continue taking college courses when she starts at Mount Pleasant High School this fall, which is just around the corner from her middle school. But her options are limited.

Mount Pleasant High School offers just three community college courses, which serve about 10% of the school鈥檚 roughly 1,000 students, said Kyle Kleckner, the school district鈥檚 director of instructional services. All of the classes are in 鈥渕ultimedia鈥� studies, he said, which teaches students how to create their own podcasts or YouTube channels, along with other digital marketing skills.聽

Although Mount Pleasant High School鈥檚 dual enrollment is about on par with the state average, it trails other districts in the region. Less than 20 miles away, at high schools in the Milpitas Unified School District, roughly 25% of students enrolled in a community college class in 2021-22, according to the UC Davis analysis.

Finding professors to teach middle school

Part of the dual enrollment challenge is finding qualified college professors who are willing and able to work at a high school or middle school. Existing middle and high school teachers are allowed to teach college courses but they have to meet the qualifications, which usually include a master鈥檚 degree in the area of instruction. Most of California鈥檚 high school and middle school instructors a master鈥檚 degree, according to a study by the Public Policy Institute of California.

鈥淲e have graduation requirements that students have to accomplish,鈥� Kleckner said. 鈥淭he trick is finding that community college course that also fulfills those requirements and also finding a teacher who can teach it.鈥� He said Mount Pleasant High School is committed to expanding the number of college courses but noted that it鈥檚 smaller and therefore has fewer teachers who meet the requirements to teach a college course.

In turn, many college professors lack experience teaching children, said Breheny, who teaches at San Jose City College. 鈥淲e have had some problems already with dual enrollment where faculty have gone to different (high schools) to teach and have dealt with classroom management issues that they wouldn鈥檛 have in a college course.鈥� In one case, she said a college faculty member saw bullying in a high school classroom but didn鈥檛 feel equipped to respond.

Lamas has a master鈥檚 degree, which is required for most . He鈥檚 gentle with the middle school students in his class, occasionally awarding points in the Jeopardy game even when the answer isn鈥檛 perfect. Lamas had two quiz games planned that day, each one covering a different topic, but the first game took up almost all of the class time.

He ends class by taking questions about the upcoming final project. Although spring break is minutes away, the students sit still through the final minutes, except for the occasional joke and bursts of laughter. Not a single phone was in sight.

Once class ends, however, chatter ensues, the students pull out their phones, and staff escort them to the parking lot. While they may be taking a college course, they still must wait for their parents to pick them up.

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 People are exhausted and desperate for some good news. Well, we now have some.      

Despite the virulent and largely inaccurate charges levied against higher education, the American public may hear it but clearly doesn’t buy into the raft of misinformation. In a recent , seven out of 10 adults without a college degree believe both a bachelor鈥檚 degree and an associate鈥檚 degree are either extremely or very valuable. And despite the costs, a majority in the poll believe college will pay off within five years.

In perhaps the best piece of news, a about the quality of their college classes found that 72% consider their classes to be either “excellent” or “very good,” and half were very confident their college education and degree would result in positive career opportunities.    

This positive view of higher education also extends to seniors in high school. In 2025, the percentage of seniors who have filled out their FAFSA forms has increased by 13% over 2024, and the percentage of seniors filling out the Common App for college admissions increased by 4%, with the number of first-generation college goers increasing by 13%. 

According to the , the largest gains are among students from low-income neighborhoods. This is significant because the decline in birth rates has affected the size of the youth population. Add all of this to the fact that nationwide this past fall college enrollment was up by 3.4%, it is clear that the notion that “college doesn’t matter” has little truth. 

This news is particularly important because labor market data shows that by 2031, despite the phrase 鈥渃ollege doesn鈥檛 matter,鈥� more than seven of every 10 jobs will require a post-secondary degree or credential. , those entering the workforce with a college degree earn more than $1 million more over their lifetimes compared to those with only a high school diploma. We see growth in the semiconductor industry due to the CHIPS and Science Act, growth in health careers, green jobs, and a host of labor market areas.      

This doesn’t mean our higher education systems can’t improve. They can and they must improve. The growth in micro-credentials is a significant innovation offering students an opportunity to earn industry credentials that are both credit-bearing and stackable toward a degree.

In New York State, the Power Authority, a big green jobs employer, is partnering with SUNY to not only double the number of micro-credentials for green jobs but also offer them to high school students in some of the state鈥檚 , at no cost. This year Gov. Kathy Hochul announced free community college tuition for students seeking degrees in areas of labor market growth. 

Other colleges and universities have begun providing an opportunity for a bachelor鈥檚 degree in three years, rather than four, reducing the time and cost of a degree. Others, including SUNY, have expanded the use of credit for prior learning, allowing military service, community service, work experience and other backgrounds to qualify students for academic credit, also reducing the cost and time of a degree. 

The P-TECH approach, which offers a model of education combining high school and college via dual enrollment along with industry engagement, has spread to over 500 schools across 28 countries. It offers a clear pathway from school to college to career for students regardless of income or achievement levels. Many employers 鈥� including IBM, Cisco, Northwell Health, Micron, GlobalFoundries, and the NY Power Authority 鈥� are seeing strong results from this model. An by MDRC demonstrates its success, especially for low-income students and students of color.

While some of the issues involving education appear to inspire more division than unity, this isn’t the case on the need for a clear pathway from school to college to career. This is an issue that unites and doesn’t divide. It is this unity that will bring together Republican and Democrat governors, education leaders, business and labor leaders, and student representatives at the on Thursday to discuss the need for innovative paths from school to college to career.  

It will take all of us 鈥� regardless of political affiliation 鈥� to achieve success for our nation. We must examine models of success together and identify ways to make them scalable and sustainable with clear solutions that include more experiential learning, career guidance and exploration, and access to academic and workplace skill development.  

It is true that these are difficult and challenging times. But the good news story 鈥� about the latest poll numbers, the degree to which education leaders are willing and able to innovate and the unity demonstrated at the upcoming summit 鈥� give me some hope.

Nine Republican U.S. representatives are calling on U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to at California鈥檚 community colleges. In a separate letter sent Wednesday, state Assemblymember Blanca Rubio, , asked the state to on the matter.

This rare moment of bipartisan concern comes after CalMatters reported that fake community college students have stolen more and more than $3 million in state aid in the last 12 months.

In their April 11 letter to Bondi and McMahon, which cites CalMatters鈥� reporting, California鈥檚 Republican representatives say that investigating fraud at California鈥檚 community colleges should be part of President Donald Trump鈥檚 ongoing efforts to 鈥渃urb wasteful federal spending.鈥�

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The California Community Colleges Chancellor鈥檚 Office has 鈥渘ot been contacted by the U.S. Department of Education or the U.S. Attorney General about an investigation,鈥� said Chris Ferguson, one of the office鈥檚 executive vice chancellors, in an email to CalMatters Thursday.

Assemblymember Rubio鈥檚 letter calls for a state audit that would examine the scope of fraud and the efforts to prevent it. State legislators will decide this June whether to pursue that audit, which could take years to complete.

California community colleges have been struggling to address fake students and financial aid fraud . Last spring, CalMatters reported that scammers and that community colleges reported giving away over $5 million in federal funds and over $1.5 million in state and local aid. Earlier this month, CalMatters found .

鈥淎llowing this rise in fraud to go unaddressed is negligent on the Community College system, as these bad actors take away opportunities from real students in impacted courses such as accounting, nursing, etc,鈥� wrote the California Republican representatives in their letter.

While students, faculty and community college administrators in California agree that it鈥檚 a serious and growing problem, they question whether an investigation or an audit will lead to a better solution.

Fraud is 鈥渁 legitimate concern,鈥� said Larry Galizio, president of the Community College League of California, which represents the interests of the state鈥檚 73 community college districts 鈥� but the letter to the education department and the attorney general is 鈥渄isingenuous鈥� and 鈥渏ust flat wrong鈥� in claiming that it鈥檚 gone unaddressed.

California has allocated more than $150 million since 2022 to improve cybersecurity at its community colleges.

鈥淏laming the victim and then cutting resources to the very entities that are trying to combat the fraud is not a policy approach that鈥檚 going to be effective,鈥� Galizio said.

Overwhelmed with the number of fake students in their classes, 鈥渟ome of our faculty members feel like they鈥檝e been screaming into the void,鈥� said Stephanie Goldman, executive director of the faculty association of California Community Colleges. She said the federal scrutiny is particularly ironic, given that the Trump administration has dismantled the U.S. Department of Education and hampered its ability to investigate fraud.

Representative Young Kim 鈥� who flipped her Orange County district in 2020 鈥� led the effort to write the congressional letter. Her spokesperson, Callie Strock, refused to respond directly to criticisms when CalMatters asked about them. She said Kim is still learning about the issue and that 鈥淐alifornia has a long history of abusing taxpayer dollars.鈥�

Top priority: getting money to students in need

Since Trump鈥檚 inauguration in January, the federal government . The U.S. Department of Justice is for allegedly discriminating against students in the name of 鈥渄iversity, equity and inclusion鈥� 鈥� even though affirmative action has been illegal in California since 1996. The administration is also going after numerous UC campuses, as well as Sacramento State and Santa Monica College, for allegedly allowing .鈥�

California is fighting back by working with other states to file numerous lawsuits, such as one that attempts to stop the Trump administration from and another to prevent the

But in this instance, the call to investigate California鈥檚 higher education system for fraud stems from California鈥檚 elected representatives, not from Trump or his cabinet. Kim鈥檚 spokesperson did not clarify whether officials from the Trump administration would actually pursue an investigation.

For Ivan Hernandez, a student at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, fraud is a low priority. Hernandez is the president of the community college students鈥� association, and while he said he suspects that some of the students in his online courses are fake 鈥� or at least are using AI to submit assignments 鈥� he鈥檚 more concerned with homelessness and food insecurity, which affect of California鈥檚 roughly 2 million community college students.

Financial aid is supposed to pay for tuition, but low-income community college students pay little or no tuition in California, so the money goes directly into their pockets to offset the state鈥檚 high cost of housing and food. Most students who attend California鈥檚 community colleges are low-income and work a part- or full-time job.

Ferguson, with the state chancellor鈥檚 office, said 鈥渋t鈥檚 crucial to emphasize鈥� that many fraudulent students are stopped before they can enroll. 鈥淔or the nanoscopic number of criminals that did get past the application stage and moved to the enrollment stage, an even smaller number was able to breach the financial aid stage,鈥� he said.

鈥淔inancial aid fraud in the California Community Colleges system is extremely low relative to the billions of dollars of state and federal aid disbursed 鈥� about 0.21% in FY 2023-24. That means 99.8% of financial aid was disbursed to real students in our system.鈥�

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Students tap on their keyboards as a professor lectures at the front of the room. It looks like any other college course, except that it鈥檚 taking place at a high school. This year, more than 150,000 California teens are earning college credit in dual enrollment courses.

Dual enrollment offers high schoolers the chance to attend community college, typically for free, often without having to leave their campuses. By helping students tackle the college academic experience, the programs increase the likelihood that students attend college after graduating high school.

About 80% of California鈥檚 dual enrolled high school students go on to a community college or university, compared to 66% of California 12th grade students in general, the More than a third of California鈥檚 dual enrolled students go on to attend the same community college they attended while in high school after they graduate, according to the

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Many college and high school administrators have pushed to increase students鈥� college attainment rates, and the state has invested in dual enrollment, leading to a significant expansion. The number of students in these courses tripled between spring 2015 and spring 2024, according to state data. The Public Policy Institute of California found that about 30% of California鈥檚 high school graduating class of 2024 took at least one dual enrollment course.

The growth of high schoolers is a bright spot in overall student totals at the state鈥檚 community colleges, which have after enrollment tanked during the pandemic. However, some community college faculty have pushed back against widespread dual enrollment due to concerns about academic rigor and working conditions for educators.

Furthermore, data shows that some of California鈥檚 rural students, as well as males and students of color, don鈥檛 enroll in and complete these courses at the same rate as others. Some experts and administrators say they鈥檙e not just missing out on a couple of college credits, they鈥檙e not getting the same opportunities to envision themselves as future college students.

鈥淲hen high schoolers complete these courses, they are able to fulfill requirements that help them access associate degrees and bachelor鈥檚 degrees,鈥� said Daniel Payares-Montoya, a PPIC research associate. 鈥淭he students benefit, but so do the community colleges, because it helps them enroll more students.鈥�

Rural schools and colleges face dual enrollment hurdles聽

In Siskiyou County, at the northern tip of California, the only community college serves a sprawling region that covers mountains, forests and rural towns. Although the county has a population of just 43,000, it is the fifth largest county in California by area, meaning that often the hardest part of supporting dual enrolled students isn鈥檛 the actual teaching 鈥� it鈥檚 having the right technology and transportation to reach them in the first place.

鈥淭he personal interaction is a challenge, because we have high schools that are two hours away,鈥� said Kim Peacemaker, a counselor and dual enrollment coordinator at College of the Siskiyous. The college currently has about 230 dual enrolled high school students and about 2,390 students total, based on state data.

Peacemaker said the college has worked to make dual enrollment accessible by allowing professors to meet virtually with students in their high school classrooms. However, she added that some students don鈥檛 have reliable internet access at home for homework or tutoring. In Siskiyou County, don鈥檛 have broadband internet.

California鈥檚 rural colleges generally lag behind urban colleges in dual enrollment. Kern Community College District in the southern Central Valley and the Compton Community College District near Los Angeles had the two highest percentages of high school students in 2024, at 41%聽 and 36%聽 respectively, based on state data. In comparison, 9.7% of students at College of the Siskiyous are dual enrolled high schoolers, and this drops to about 5% in some other parts of the state.

Sonya Christian, the chancellor of the California Community College system, previously led the Kern Community College District, spearheading its expansion of dual enrollment. Now, dual enrollment in the district is 鈥渙ne of the most successful models in the state,鈥� Christian said in an emailed statement to CalMatters.

鈥淚 prioritized dual enrollment because I saw it as a potential pathway to increase college-going rates, accelerate degree completion and provide students 鈥� especially those in rural and low-income communities 鈥� with early exposure to college-level coursework,鈥� Christian said in the statement.

For many high school students in the small city of Blythe, which sits along California鈥檚 border with Arizona, the only people they know with bachelor鈥檚 degrees are their teachers. That鈥檚 why Clint Cowden, the vice president of instruction and student services at Palo Verde College, said the exposure to college that dual enrollment provides these students can be transformative.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really a win-win for the community,鈥� Cowden said.

A recent alumnus of Palo Verde College鈥檚 dual enrollment program, Manuel Milke earned his high school diploma and his associate degree simultaneously, while juggling varsity soccer and football. Now Milke, who is 19, is set to graduate in the fall from San Diego State with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in kinesiology. Milke said he chose to attend San Diego State to stay close to his family in Blythe, and aspires to work as a physical therapist somewhere nearby.

鈥淓veryone should do dual enrollment,鈥� said Milke. 鈥淚t saved me time, it saved me money and it made me feel more prepared for college.鈥�

Student gaps remain in dual enrollment

As a Latino male, Milke is in the minority for dual enrollment. Based on state data, Black and Latino students are both underrepresented in dual enrollment courses. In the spring 2024 semester, 41% of dual enrollment students were male, while 56% were female. According to Payares-Montoya, these gaps in access to dual enrollment can make it so Black, Latino and male students are less likely to see higher education as an option, compared to their dual enrolled peers.

For Jesse Medrano, an 18-year-old senior at Daniel Pearl Magnet High School in the Los Angeles Unified School District, dual enrollment has provided 鈥渁 good outline of what college is like.鈥� His high school first placed him in dual enrollment in ninth grade, and since then he has taken five classes, covering topics including economics and political science.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have the drive to seek these courses out, so the fact that they put me in them set this standard for me, and now I鈥檓 meeting it,鈥� said Medrano, who is Latino and plans to study accounting at Cal State Northridge. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have the motivation, but now I do, and I鈥檓 able to succeed.鈥�

At Compton College more than a third of the current students are still in high school, according to state data. Latino and Black students comprise 75% and 9% of dual enrollees, respectively, which are significantly higher than state averages. Keith Curry, the college鈥檚 president, said that when students of color complete dual enrollment courses, this gets them comfortable with college academics and leads to better representation at colleges and universities.

Some faculty push back against expansion

Some community college faculty have raised concerns about the process by which dual enrollment partnerships are established, the level of readiness of high school students for college courses, and who teaches these classes. In many districts across the state, some dual enrollment courses are not taught by community college faculty, but by existing high school teachers who hold the credentials required to teach at a college level. In the Kern Community College District, about 60% of dual enrollment courses held on high school campuses are taught by high school teachers who meet the college qualifications, according to district spokesperson Norma Rojas.

Tim Maxwell, an English professor at College of San Mateo, is a 鈥渃onscientious objector鈥� to California鈥檚 expansion of dual enrollment. Maxwell said he is concerned about what he sees as a focus to get as many students to graduate and earn college credits as quickly as possible, sacrificing college-level rigor and evaluation.

鈥淐ompletion is important, but our primary responsibility is for students to learn something along the way,鈥� said Maxwell, who has taught community college courses for about 30 years.

Maxwell has taught creative writing courses on his college campus with several dual enrolled students, one as young as 15 years old, and he said these students are 鈥減henomenal.鈥� But, he added, there鈥檚 a difference between a handful of proactive high schoolers going to a community college campus and a high school classroom that 鈥渟witches to a college class during fifth period.鈥� He said he is concerned about poor working conditions for professors, primarily adjunct faculty, who have to travel to high schools and teach without the proper background or support.

鈥淲e need to resist this, and we need lawmakers who understand something about education and not just spreadsheets,鈥� Maxwell said.

Wendy Brill-Wynkoop, the president of the Faculty Association of California Community Colleges, said dual enrollment is beneficial for students, but that she has 鈥渉eard grumblings鈥� about a need for faculty to have a more active role in setting standards and policies for dual enrollment.

While in high school in Blythe, Milke said his dual enrollment courses were generally easier than the courses he takes at San Diego State. But they still challenged him and prepared him for a college-level workload, he said.

Lawmakers work to continue growth

Several state laws have been enacted in the past decade to expand dual enrollment in California. In 2015, established the College and Career Access Pathways program, allowing community colleges and high schools to enter into dual enrollment partnerships. These institutions bring the courses to students, as opposed to those students having to seek them out. The state streamlined the pathways program with the passage of in 2019, allowing students to submit fewer forms to enroll. , which is currently in committee, would, among other changes, increase the number of units that students in the program can take.

Based on PPIC research, students in the College and Career Access Pathways program now account for about 37% of dual enrollees. This program has a higher percentage of underrepresented students compared to other dual enrollment programs, in part because it eliminates some of the restrictions that can make it hard for schools to offer broad and barrier-free dual enrollment.

As dual enrollment continues to expand, it increases costs to California beyond the more than $700 million that the state has already invested. That鈥檚 because both community colleges and high school districts are typically both able to receive state funding for dual enrolled students, according to the

According to the statement from Christian, state leaders are working to increase dual enrollment access by expanding partnerships between high schools and colleges.

鈥淢y vision is to make dual enrollment a standard opportunity for all California students, not just an option for a select few, increasing equitable access to higher education and workforce-aligned learning,鈥� Christian said in the statement.

Alana Althaus-Cressman, who runs the dual enrollment program at Golden Eagle Charter School, a K-12 school in Siskiyou County, markets the program to all students, not just those who already have a record of high achievement. She studied dual enrollment access for rural students for her graduate school dissertation at Sacramento State University, and started the early college high school program at Golden Eagle Charter in 2024. Students in the program take dual enrollment courses for part of the school day, and high school courses for the rest.

Althaus-Cressman said that because dual enrollment offers students a glimpse of college, it鈥檚 important that the classes aren鈥檛 only filled with students who already plan to attend college. Some high schools require minimum grade point averages or have other barriers to entry for dual enrollment, which Althaus-Cressman said can perpetuate inequalities.

The early college high school program enrolls about a third of Golden Eagle Charter鈥檚 ninth graders. Althaus-Cressman attributes this level of participation to extensive outreach, which included working with school staff to call the families of every incoming high school student to invite them to a dual enrollment orientation.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 want students to think that they aren鈥檛 the type of student for this program,鈥� Althaus-Cressman said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 for everybody.鈥�

This article was and was republished under the license.

That鈥檚 not the weighty middle-aged regret of lost dreams. It鈥檚 the lament of an Indianapolis high school senior who waited until late into his sophomore year – Gasp! – to take advantage of the college classes Indiana offers high schoolers for free or little cost.

Indiana is one of the few states where starting college as a high school sophomore makes you a late bloomer. The state ranks just behind Idaho in leading an early college credit movement, as states increasingly encourage high school students to take college classes, most often at community colleges.

In Idaho and Indiana, high school students make up more than half the students in community college classes, according to a. Iowa and Montana follow, with high schoolers representing more than 40% of community college enrollment, and eight other states comprising more than 30% of enrollment. 

On the other end, states such as Rhode Island and Connecticut haven鈥檛 joined the push, with high schoolers making up just 6% and 10% of community college students, respectively.

High school students have long been able to get a head start on college credits, traditionally by taking accelerated Advanced Placement classes and accompanying national Advanced Placement tests that started in the 1950s. Colleges then decide which credits to award based on the test scores. The College Board still offers 39 AP course guidelines and tests each year.

But earning early college credit has become more urgent the last few decades, as college costs have exploded and employers increasingly require study beyond high school. So states have seen dramatic increases in 鈥渆arly college,鈥� 鈥渄ual enrollment鈥� or 鈥渄ual credit鈥� where high school students take classes on college campuses or high school teachers offer college classes.

Those approaches have allowed the number of high school students earning college credit to more than double since 2011 to 1.5 million a year, according to the Community College Research Center at Columbia University. About 75% are enrolled in community colleges and the rest in four-year schools. Columbia researchers also estimate that more than a third of high schoolers take at least one college class before graduating.

鈥淭he pitch to communities and families and students is鈥et your first year of college out of the way in high school, or get it done in high school,鈥� said researcher John Fink. 鈥淭hat’s a very compelling affordability pitch to students and families and obviously that’s an important issue on everybody’s mind.鈥�

In a state as aggressive as Indiana, it鈥檚 normal for students like Torres, a student at l Believe Circle City High School, to be taking quantitative reasoning at Ivy Tech Community College this fall after taking psychology and introduction to criminology as a junior.

鈥淚 was kind of just in trouble all the time,鈥� Torres said of himself as a freshman. 鈥淚 didn’t really care about school stuff. It wasn’t until last year where I started actually doing my work and decided to take dual enrollment seriously.鈥�

鈥淣ow I’m kind of trying to rush things,鈥� said Torres, who wants to earn a degree before starting a career as a police officer. 鈥淚 kind of wish I started early when they had given me the opportunity.鈥�

Fink and other Columbia researchers reported in October that students taking college classes early are in college right after high school and are more likely to earn technical certificates, associates and bachelors degrees.

Taking classes directly through a college allows students to receive credits automatically, which is often more attractive to students than AP classes that rely on test scores to turn into credits, said Julie Edmunds, director of the Early College Resource Center at the University of North Carolina -Greensboro. 

鈥淲hen all the college credit relies on passing a single exam on a single day, there are students who aren’t going to be successful in that kind of environment, and the proportion of AP takers that actually receive credit is much lower,鈥� Edmunds said.

Other factors make taking college classes attractive to some students, including letting students intimidated by college test it out or colleges offering classes like advanced physics or foreign languages that their high schools can鈥檛 provide.

Still, though almost all states allow high schoolers to take college classes, there鈥檚 no consensus on how much to encourage and how to pay for it. A found a wide variation in the training teachers need to teach college classes, which students can take them and who pays for them.

Twenty-six states required high school students to meet a college鈥檚 entrance requirements first, the study found, while others do not. Nineteen states required students to have a recommendation from a school official, while others require students to pass tests or just let students decide on their own.

States also differ on which community college classes automatically count toward four-year degrees.

And states are divided on who pays for early credits, the study found, with states like Alabama and South Carolina requiring high school students to pay full tuition rates and states like Minnesota, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio and Washington, D.C. covering the entire cost of the classes.

The Idaho State Board of Education attributes its high rate of community college enrollment on the state鈥檚 Advanced Opportunities program, which gives students up to $4,625 to pay for college classes.

And there are big differences too between students who just enroll in some college classes and those in so-called 鈥渆arly college high schools,鈥� where college credit is prioritized and schools offer more specialized counseling and specific courses to help students succeed.

鈥淚f you’re expanding access to college,you can’t just throw everybody in college courses without giving them some level of support,鈥� Edmunds said. 

In Indiana, where officials boast of being a national leader in early credits, having one single community college, Ivy Tech, with 45 campuses around the state under one umbrella, makes coordinating between schools easier.

The state also made course credits more valuable starting in 2013 by creating the , a collection of 30 college credits – some math, some English, some science, some social studies – guaranteed to transfer to any public institution in the state. That lets students know classes they take in high school will count at any public, and some private, school they choose.

The state also encourages high schools to offer classes in that core to students, so that some will complete it by graduation. 

Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education Chris Lowery said high schools slowly started making these classes available, with 84 of about 500 offering it three years ago. He said he and state education superintendent Katie Jenner, have pressed other schools to add it, growing that number to 275. 

That often means having teachers like Brooklyn Raines, an English teacher at Crispus Attucks High School in Indianapolis, teach Ivy Tech classes at the school. Though an employee of Indianapolis Public Schools, Raines had to apply to Ivy Tech as an instructor, attend early college training over the summer and have her curriculum for Introduction to Creative Writing approved by the community college鈥檚 English department.

She now teaches that class at Crispus Attucks three days a week on behalf of Ivy Tech. Though there can be worries that college level work is too much for high school students who are younger and haven鈥檛 learned as much as older students, Raines said her students are capable.

鈥淒espite the stigma that they aren’t traditional college students, so they can’t retain the information, or they can’t keep up with the information, they prove time and time and again that they can,鈥� Raines said.

Other times, students take Ivy Tech classes online. That鈥檚 how Layla Kpotufe, a fellow senior at the same high school as Torres, took a world politics class last year that has her debating whether to continue on a political science path or follow a previous interest in neuroscience.

Kpotufe, who has already earned an associates degree in general studies, said the Ivy Tech classes could cut her costs for her bachelors degree nearly in half.

鈥淚t would definitely take a lot of money off,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat’s why I think Ivy Tech is a really good opportunity for people, especially if you want to stay in state.鈥�

The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) announced on Tuesday, Oct. 15, the launch of the second stage of testing (Beta 2) for the 2025鈥�26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) — which is

The announcement follows two weeks of the first round of testing (Beta 1), during which “the Department did not uncover any critical bugs,” according to a press release.

During Beta 1, which started Oct. 1, more than 650 students successfully submitted applications, the DOE said, and dozens of student corrections were successfully completed. Nearly 600 higher education institutions also received 6,266 Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) generated by those applications.

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FAFSA Executive Advisor Jeremy Singer said the department’s original goal was to submit and process forms for 100 students during Beta 1.

鈥淚nstead, we had more than six times that number of students and we were able to see the forms move from submission to processing — and even corrections — without any major issues,鈥� Singer said. 鈥淲e learned a tremendous amount from being able to observe students, families, and community-based organizations interacting with the FAFSA form in real time, and we are on track for a full launch on or before Dec. 1.鈥�

Beta 2 launched on Tuesday, DOE officials said during a press briefing call. This second round of testing includes 16 organizations that will work together to recruit thousands of students from diverse income, geographic, family, and educational backgrounds, the department said.

Beta 2 will also include returning students for the first time during the testing period. Ahead of the Dec. 1 launch for all students, DOE officials said there will also be a third and fourth round of testing. Beta 3 is expected to launch

The beta testing for the 2025-26 FAFSA follows the rocky launch of the 鈥淏etter FAFSA鈥� , which saw multiple glitches and delays and caused stress for students and families seeking help paying for college.

While many students experienced delays, students from mixed-status families, or those whose parents don’t have a social security number, were .

On Tuesday, DOE officials told members of the press that “many” mixed-status students successfully submitted their applications during Beta 1.

“Throughout the extensive Beta 1 testing, the Department encountered opportunities to improve the usability of the FAFSA form, which was expected given that the Department has prioritized the stability of the application,” the DOE press release said. “Improving usability will continue to be a focus of the Department following the full launch of the FAFSA form on or before Dec. 1.”

For Beta 1 testing, DOE staff attended 2025-26 FAFSA events from Oct. 1-3 in six cities across the country — Birmingham, Alabama; Santa Barbara, California; Atlanta, Georgia; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Dallas, Texas; and Alexandria, Virginia.

The department expects more attendees from those events to continue submitting the FAFSA form, along with students being targeted during Beta 2.

Bennett College, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the University of North Carolina at Wilmington are participating in the upcoming testing stages.

鈥淥n behalf of the Department of Education, I want to offer a huge thank you to all of the students, family members, counselors, financial aid experts, and others participating in the testing process,” said U.S. Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal. “Their efforts are helping us get the FAFSA ready for everyone.”

You can read more about Beta 1 results, along with upcoming testing,

FAFSA resources

• : Updated resources for school counselors, college access professionals, and mentors with information about the FAFSA process.
• : A list of known issues with the form updated in real-time as bugs are fixed in beta testing.
• FAFSA videos: Updated videos to help students and families understand the importance of the FAFSA, who is a FAFSA contributor, and what happens after submitting the form:

This first appeared on and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

In a six-year study interviewing 104 transfer-intending students, Jabbar, an associate professor at the , said viewing transfer issues solely as a community college problem only 鈥渕oves the needle a little bit.鈥�

鈥淎 lot of these existing reforms that focus on community colleges do help,鈥� Jabbar told 蜜桃影视. 鈥淏ut it doesn’t address the larger problem if universities are not helping students.鈥�

The students, who attended either Central Community College or the Fernando Community College System in Texas, experienced many difficulties in transferring 鈥� from credit loss to inadequate career advising.

鈥淐ommunity colleges don’t have the power to say whether those credits subsequently transfer or whether the student is admitted to a university,鈥� Schudde, an associate professor at , told 蜜桃影视. 

鈥淎nd if that information is not readily available or changes, then any guidance they have offered to students goes out the window.鈥�

In their 鈥淒iscredited: Power, Privilege, and Community College Transfer,鈥� Schudde and Jabbar argue that transfer policy is a complex public higher education issue rather than an isolated community college problem.

鈥淢ost research is really focused on the hurdles, the information problems and the barriers within community colleges,鈥� Jabbar said. 鈥淸But] we can’t solve the problem of community college transfer without also holding universities accountable and bringing them in.鈥�

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

The book began with the story of Teresa 鈥� a Latina, 19-year-old community college student raised in Texas 鈥� who planned to transfer to a four-year college but was left confused about the steps she needed to take to do so. Can you tell me more about how her experience speaks broadly to the often confusing student-transfer pathway?

Jabbar: There were so many stories, but Teresa exemplified the kinds of experiences that we heard and revealed it wasn’t just that there were hurdles along the way. Oftentimes we hear about students鈥� life experiences, such as working to support family members, that are obviously barriers to transfer. But there were also these institutional barriers 鈥� and not just at the community college level.

For Teresa, it was after she transferred that she was like 鈥榳ait a minute, these policies don’t line up.鈥� And she expressed the frustration that a lot of our students felt when she talked about how she wished these institutions would just get together and come up with some kind of agreement that would make the process more streamlined. That’s why we highlighted her story.

Schudde: I would add that in a lot of research she might be viewed as a success story. Most research looks at transfer-intending students and if they transferred. But when you only look at this you miss everything that happens in the process. 

As we followed students, we did get to see some actually graduate and get their bachelor’s degree. But Teresa鈥檚 case helped us highlight that even the success story has things that go on within it that are really challenging for students to deal with.

Your work takes a closer look into more than 100 transfer-intending community college students who attended either Central Community College or the Fernando Community College System in Texas. Was there a reason why you sampled this student population?

Schudde: Huriya and I worked together at The University of Texas at Austin in the department for education leadership and policy. Huriya started there a year before me and was working on a project studying community college students that were interested in transferring. When I arrived, I was working on a project that was studying the personnel who worked with those transfer students to understand how they’re making sense of transfer policies in Texas.

We started talking and realized we could merge these two things. She also had a sample of over 100 community college students 鈥� that’s a big deal. So we ended up pursuing more funding and followed those students for six years.

The majority of students in the sample identified as Latino because that is what the majority of students in Texas, particularly at community colleges, identify as. And most students in the sample also come from low-income families.

Jabbar: In most states, the vast majority of students starting at a community college are low-income students and often students of color. So in many ways our sample aligns with the general population of community colleges across the country.

The book illustrates how transfer success is closely tied to how well college institutions confront 鈥渙vert and hidden barriers鈥� 鈥� from credit loss to flaws in career advising. From your research, where do you see the largest opportunities for college leaders at two-year and four-year institutions to improve their transfer outcomes?

Jabbar: We see the problem as somewhat different than it has been talked about in the past. Most research is really focused on the hurdles, the information problems and the barriers within community colleges. Our argument is that we can’t solve the problem of community college transfer without also holding universities accountable and bringing them in. We need to move from viewing this as a community college problem to a public higher education problem.

Schudde: So many of the reforms to date have focused on community colleges and it’s like moving the needle the tiniest amount. That’s because the community colleges don’t have the power to say whether those credits subsequently transfer or whether the student is admitted to a university. And if that information is not readily available or changes, then any guidance they have offered to students goes out the window. It had no meaning. 

There’s a bunch of one-off solutions where we could say to every university 鈥榳e really want you to build these reliable transfer agreements with your most common feeder community colleges鈥� but it feels like those recommendations have not been effective in the past. Especially because some of the most powerful universities feel like 鈥榳ell why should I have to do that?鈥� And we’re talking about public universities here where they should think of themselves as part of this public higher education ecosystem. 

What we would like to see is a mandate for an associate degree that transfers. Something that would allow someone from a community college to move into a public university and know that they’re going to be at junior status as long as they have the 60 credits. That would require action from university actors because they would have to decide how those credits count.

The reason why I’m emphasizing some sort of state government action is because there’s been all this research the past several decades about community college transfer but no action has happened when it’s left up to universities. They don’t have incentives to do that. There’s also this tension between whose credits are going to count towards the degree because there’s money involved. There would need to be some legislative action, which we’ve seen in some states, that would require university actors to make these changes and take some accountability.

My understanding is that a majority of Texas community colleges utilize the guided pathways advising model. How has this influenced the transfer student experience?

Schudde: When we first started talking to students, that was when the guided pathways advising model was coming out. There was some movement but the community colleges had not fully adopted it when the first and second wave of interviews started. Around the third year we started seeing staff mentioning that the advising models were changing. 

That guidance has been helping but something we do say in the book is that the challenge is still there. If all the community colleges are adopting this but the university that a student goes to is unaware or doesn’t care to know what classes they took, then it doesn’t necessarily help the student. 

That thread has to carry all the way through into the bachelor’s degree. So for this reform to actually make a large impact on getting a bachelor’s degree, we need to see the universities are also adopting, or at least recognizing, those courses that they have to take in their first two years.

Jabbar: A lot of these existing reforms that focus on community colleges do help and move the needle a little bit. Students are getting better advising, or more frequent advising, and they鈥檙e being guided while in community college. But it doesn’t address the larger problem if universities are not helping students.

Schudde: Guided pathways is probably the biggest reform community colleges have seen in a long time. But in most cases I don’t know if it’s getting to the university. Unless it’s a university that works really closely with their local community college, it doesn’t seem like a lot of them are really aware that students are being guided to take this set of core courses. Which means that, ideally, those core courses would also be the universities prerequisites for the major鈥檚 coursework. So that’s why that connection to the next set of institutions is so important.

It goes without saying that racial and socioeconomic equity and access in higher education plays a role in transfer success. How does this tie in with the findings in your book?

Schudde: The reason why this ties in so much with ongoing conversations, especially about racial equity in higher education, is because universities aren’t really able to use all the same tools that they used to use in admissions processes. We have this other public higher education system, community colleges, that have really had a democratizing effect 鈥� allowing greater access for students from low-income families to students of color. Historically, that’s who they’re serving. 

We didn鈥檛 necessarily see major differences across race but there were some across social class. There were some students who had more connections to other people that had navigated the transfer process and been to a university. Those sorts of things helped them figure out who to talk to and what they needed to know in order to take the right classes. 

The gist of our argument, and how it relates to equity, is we need to make these pathways easier to navigate. Under the current context, it’s not easy for them to do that which means we’re really limiting the power of our higher education systems to help with social mobility.

Jabbar: The goal would be that policy remedies can help address the uneven information access and social capital that students coming in have. Institutions should be able to address that and even it out. The existing system is really disadvantageous to community college students who seek to get a bachelor’s degree. 

We really do believe institutions can support students in achieving those goals, but right now they’re not. And because they are disproportionately low-income and students of color that’s where they reproduce existing inequities.

After working on this book, what would you say was your most surprising takeaway?

Jabbar: The main argument of this book is not something I thought we were going to make going into it. I really thought we were going to focus on community colleges. What are the barriers within community colleges? And how can we improve systems within community colleges? I don’t think I realized just how powerful universities were in creating some of the problems that we were seeing in the community colleges. So it was a surprise to me when we looked at the data.

Schudde: Some of the things that surprised me was how candid some of the university actors are when we talked to them about this. So it’s not that I’m surprised by the findings, but I expected some of them to be more guarded about it. It was very explicit in some conversations where it’s basically complete acknowledgement of gatekeeping. That was shocking for me.

What鈥檚 something people aren鈥檛 talking enough about regarding the state of transfer policies?

Schudde: I would say more questions about how we change the minds of university actors. And this is not to say I believe they have ill will. This idea of gatekeeping is very much them prioritizing what they see as maintaining the rigor of their programs. Huriya and I are both university faculty so we鈥檝e seen what it’s like to be on this side. We have those conversations. It happens. 

A lot of the burden turns back to what community colleges can do whereas I believe the bigger question is how we get the universities to be willing partners. Or at least be policy change compliance partners and help them see that there are some benefits for everyone if we make these changes.

Jabbar: There might be some interest convergence opportunities here with the bans on affirmative action and institutions still committed to admitting a diverse population. If we can help them see that community colleges could be one pathway to doing that, that’s one place to shift their perceptions. 

One of the big things for me that is interesting about this study is understanding the cost of decentralized policies that give more autonomy and flexibility, but often put the burden on historically marginalized students and families. 

Schudde: Our proposal is basically trying to centralize some of these decisions. The processes would still remain within a university, but they would be mandated to take those community college credits and could still have the autonomy to decide how they count. Especially in Texas, which is a state that has really prioritized institutional autonomy and decentralization, that might be a harder pill to swallow than in some other contexts. 

I do agree with Huriya that we could really see it play out at the individual level. Not just students but also advisors at the community colleges and universities are trying to make sense of every institution’s set of policies. It’s just not manageable at the individual level so there’s a reason why there are benefits to centralizing some of these decisions.

The found by the start of the 2022-23 academic year the number of students who left their respective college grew to nearly 37 million 鈥� a 2.9 percent growth compared to the previous year.

But the overall number of students ages 18 to 64 leaving was largely seen in four-year schools compared to two-year programs.

Josh Wyner, founder and executive director of the , said the advising model utilized at community colleges across the country has contributed to their retention by developing an individualized plan for students to schedule classes and monitor progress.

鈥淲hat that means is [community colleges] have created a much clearer pathway to a degree and restructured their advising systems to ensure students get on those pathways early on,鈥� Wyner told 蜜桃影视, noting schools such as the and in Texas as prime examples of successful models.

Laurel Williamson, deputy chancellor and president at San Jacinto College, said the advising model is particularly helpful for first generation college students.

鈥淚t used to be just giving the student a schedule or telling them to go online and pick some classes 鈥� that鈥檚 crazy,鈥� Williamson told 蜜桃影视. 鈥淪tudents don’t know how to pick classes鈥and] we weren’t consciously thinking about it from the student experience side.鈥�

Today nearly 400 community colleges in 16 states have implemented guided pathways reforms, according to the that designed the advising system in 2015.

鈥淕uided pathways have enabled community colleges to reduce the number of students leaving and therefore having less of a population of 鈥榮ome college no degree鈥� adults,鈥� Wyner added.

Williamson said Texas has been 鈥減roactive鈥� about using guided pathways, noting 48 of the 50 community colleges have adopted the advising system. 

鈥淸Guided] pathways bring you to focus on what is really important in terms of student completion and student goals,鈥� Williamson said. 鈥淚t could be a one year certificate, it could be an associate degree. But to boil that down, it is entry into the workforce at a family sustaining wage or an on-ramp to transfer with no loss of credits and junior status at a university.鈥�

Since adopting the model in 2016, Williamson said the key benefit for students is the 鈥渢hought out鈥� academic advising.

鈥淚f you come in and say 鈥業 want to be a communications major and I want to transfer to the University of Houston-Clear Lake campus we map out the whole trajectory from your entry here to your completion of a bachelor’s degree at Clear Lake so there’s no confusion,鈥� Williamson said.

Mike Flores, chancellor at the , agreed with Williamson and emphasized how the advising system is flexible if a student decides to change their major.

鈥淚f the catalog changes, the core requirements change or anything in the general education requirements change at the receiving institution, then our folks are some of the first to know and they then revise the advising guide accordingly,鈥� Flores told 蜜桃影视.

Guided pathways have helped drive down the schools鈥� degree completion rates from 4.4 to 3.6 years.

鈥淲e know time is the enemy of degree completion for our students because education is just one of multiple commitments that they have in their lives,鈥� Flores said, noting that 65 percent of his students are part-time and taking two to three courses each term. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 saving them time and it鈥檚 saving them money, and in turn, we see more students graduating,鈥� Flores said.

Growth in Students Leaving College

The report found the number of students leaving a public four-year school increased by 2.9 percent. But public two-year schools decreased by 4.1 percent 鈥� or 52,100 students.

The report also noted the population of students leaving college continues to be less white and more male than the overall undergraduate population 鈥� with Latino and Black students disproportionately represented.

Latino and Black students were 24.4 and 19.1 percent of the students leaving college compared to being 21.5 and 14 percent of all enrolled undergraduates in the 2022-23 academic year. 

Wyner believes this disparity is due to students鈥� enrollment patterns, noting that Black, Latino, Native American and low-income students often don’t choose majors that lead to well paying jobs.

鈥淲hen we look at which programs those populations are engaged in, they tend to be in programs of study that are less likely to lead to a job with a family-sustaining wage or for a community college student to get a bachelor鈥檚 degree,鈥� Wyner said, such as general studies which signals students are entering school without a clear post-graduate plan.

He added that community colleges using guided pathways have seen an increase in degree completion because of their emphasis on career advising.

鈥溾�嬧�媁hen students don’t have a promise that the degree and programs they’re enrolled in are likely to lead to strong outcomes, then the chances they’re going to drop out are likely to be much greater,鈥� Wyner said. 

鈥淚f I don’t see a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,鈥� said Wyner, 鈥渨hy continue to travel across that rainbow?鈥� 

鈥淗osting a one-day workshop was vital for us because we wanted to share the knowledge and insights we’ve gained through our experience with eight-week courses with our sister colleges,” said Dr. Greg Thomas, vice president for academic and student affairs at ICC. “We believe in the power of collaboration and wanted to give back in the same way so many of these institutions have done with us in the past as they have shared their wisdom on various topics.鈥�

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From 16 weeks to eight

Colleges have long debated the structure of academic calendars. From the quarter system to semesters, it鈥檚 a conversation that spans decades. In recent years, community colleges have been reevaluating course delivery, with some moving from a traditional 16-week semester to an eight-week course format.

In fall 2023, ICC transitioned most of the college鈥檚 courses to an eight-week format. Fall and spring semesters include two eight-week terms and most summer courses are offered in an eight-week format.

鈥淚CC鈥檚 decision to move to a primarily eight-week course format was an intentional effort to better support successful outcomes for all students,鈥� said Dr. Margaret Annunziata, president of ICC.

During a traditional 16-week semester, students complete on average 12-18 credit hours or four to five courses at a time. The shift to an eight-week format allows students to complete 6-9 credit hours per eight-week term or two to three courses at a time.

View ICC’s eight-week student handbook

A growing body of suggests that changing the semester structure gives students 鈥渕ore flexibility and more continuous on-ramps.鈥� According to (ATD) shortened academic terms , deconstructing the academic term helps support students and can accelerate them toward a credential of value. Offering two terms in an academic semester 鈥渁llows students at least five opportunities to enroll in courses over a calendar year and to focus on fewer courses at a time.鈥�

That鈥檚 huge for community college students who, more often than not, are juggling work, families, and a host of other responsibilities in addition to school.

What does the data show?

Almost a year鈥檚 worth of data from ICC reveal both headcount and success rates are up.

From fall 2022 to fall 2023, ICC鈥檚 curriculum headcount increased nearly 4.5% 鈥� making it the college鈥檚 highest headcount since fall 2019. In spring 2024, headcount increased 7.6% from the previous spring semester according to ICC.

The college鈥檚 student success rate 鈥� defined as students who complete courses with a 鈥淐鈥� or higher 鈥� increased to 86% in fall 2023, a 7% jump from the previous fall semester.

鈥淯ltimately, this transformation has resulted in more students enrolling in more courses in their career pathways and experiencing more success than previously experienced in the 16-week format,” Annunziata said. “While it is early data, it is encouraging to see that through this work, we truly are expanding opportunity and impact for our students and the communities we serve.”

In fall 2023, ICC鈥檚 student satisfaction survey revealed that 76.5% of students were in favor of the eight-week course format. In spring 2024, 78.9% of students found it favorable. Students felt the hard work required of the eight-week format was worth it to finish courses earlier, the workload and course content in their respective courses was manageable, and they learned as much in the eight-week course as they would have in a 16-week course.

ICC鈥檚 metrics are on par with ATD鈥檚 , which included data from five community colleges across the country that shifted to shorter terms.

Lessons learned

The one-day workshop was an opportunity for ICC leaders from various departments to share lessons learned, challenges, and opportunities about shifting most courses to an eight-week format. Attendees were asked to identify topics and areas they most wanted to learn about prior to the workshop and during.

Transitioning to a primarily eight-week format impacts the whole college, Thomas said. And the transition is time intensive and requires a lot of planning, preparation, and communication.

In his opening remarks, Thomas reminded attendees to remember their 鈥渨hy鈥� when they hit roadblocks during the shift and to practice active listening when discussing how an eight-week format impacts each college department.

鈥淚f you encourage people to talk, then you get more feedback,鈥� Thomas said. 鈥淎nd more feedback equals a better product.鈥�

Leeann Cline-Burris, ICC’s director of institutional effectiveness and strategic analysis, recommended several strategies for how colleges can share data internally. Some of those strategies included defining clear key performance indicators, regular reporting and feedback loops, disaggregating data, benchmarks, transparency, continuous evaluation and contextualization, and celebrating wins throughout the transition process.

During the shift to an eight-week format, ICC offered institutional support of professional development for faculty who were tasked with moving their class content to an eight-week format. One of those supports included a course redesign academy for faculty through the ICC’s Teaching and Learning Center. Faculty were not required to complete the academy but those who did received a stipend.

Attendees heard from several ICC department leaders throughout the day about the work involved in moving to an eight-week format. Those departments included advising, student records, financial aid, the business office, Career and College Promise, and faculty from various academic areas.

Leaders discussed what academic scheduling looks like from the college and student perspectives. Topics also included how ICC handled awarding financial aid and disbursements and the impact shortened semesters had on student records, particularly as it relates to students withdrawing from courses.

After the plenary sessions, attendees were separated into three groups — academic affairs, student affairs, and faculty — to discuss what they had learned in the previous sessions while being guided by an ICC leader in each area. The groups were then tasked with developing questions that were not answered during the sessions or break-out groups for a final question and answer discussion.

If your college missed the one-day workshop, more detailed learnings will be provided by the Belk Center at a later date. Additionally, the Belk Center and ICC plan to continue their support of other colleges as they transition to an eight-week course format.

This first appeared on and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Benjamin Gregory, a former community college student, managed to graduate with an associate degree and transfer to a four-year school despite the challenges of enrolling as an older student.

And for Loren Van Tilburg, earning a four-year degree came to a halt when he left college and started his own automobile business.

From financial concerns to questioning the need of a four-year degree, Jennifer, Benjamin and Loren represent many students who were left unprepared to make their college decisions as the path to earn a four-year degree continues to be riddled with barriers.

鈥淚f you have some understanding of what you want to make of yourself and you have a plan to apply your skills, leaving college can be the best thing for you,鈥� said Loren, who like many of his peers has had a growing interest in immediate employment and apathy for a four-year education.

Here are the experiences that led to Jennifer, Benjamin and Loren鈥檚 college decisions:

Jennifer Toledo, 19

Northwest Vista College

Growing up in Mexico, Jennifer always wanted to live in the U.S. and finally got her chance when she moved to San Antonio, Texas by herself when she was 15 years old.

But there were challenges 鈥� including when her high school stopped offering ESL classes 鈥� forcing her to learn English and complete schoolwork on her own.

鈥淚t was hard,鈥� Jennifer told 蜜桃影视. 鈥淚 was using the translator on my computer [because] I didn鈥檛 know how to say anything.鈥�

But Jennifer鈥檚 experience changed when she took an education class in high school and the teacher helped her learn English.

Intending to join the U.S. Navy post-high school, Jennifer鈥檚 teacher encouraged her to enroll in classes at Northwest Vista College instead.

Today, Jennifer has earned her associate degree in teaching and will transfer to The University of Texas at San Antonio in the fall.

Her goal is to earn a bachelor鈥檚 degree in bilingual education so she can teach the ESL classes she was unable to receive as a high school student.

鈥淚 really want to help students,鈥� Jennifer said. 鈥淚 want to be that teacher who speaks and teaches them English.鈥�

But Jennifer said navigating her transfer experience was 鈥渟tressful鈥� because she was balancing her studies with working part-time at a local middle school.

鈥淎t some point, I wanted to quit [and] go back to Mexico to stay with my family because of the stress,鈥� Jennifer said.

Jennifer attributes the counseling offered at her community college as one of the support systems that helped her stay afloat.

鈥淚 needed help, I needed someone to listen to me and tell me 鈥榶ou’re okay, everything’s going to be fine,鈥欌�� Jennifer said.

Her hope for other students is that they don鈥檛 allow their inability to speak English to hinder their higher education goals.

鈥淚 want to demonstrate to my family, and to everyone, that it鈥檚 possible,鈥� Jennifer said. 鈥淚 want to be an inspiration for them so they know there鈥檚 no limit to what they can do.鈥�

Benjamin Gregory, 27

The University of Texas at San Antonio

Benjamin graduated high school in 2014 and enrolled at Texas A&M University where he majored in aerospace engineering.

But he was more focused on getting a 鈥淧hD in partying鈥� and left school after a semester to join the workforce.

He spent three years working as a Target employee followed by one year as a mall security guard 鈥� where a physical altercation with a thief altered his life.

鈥淏eing a security guard was such a terrible experience for me because I hate being mean to people,鈥� Benjamin told 蜜桃影视. 鈥淚 got reprimanded for laying my hands on someone who on the [security footage] obviously attacked me and I ended up quitting my job.鈥�

His parents encouraged him to 鈥済ive college another shot.鈥�

鈥淭his path working an hourly job as a security guard and as a retail worker wasn’t for me. I really didn鈥檛 like doing it, but it was just something I had to do to live, pay for food and rent and all that,鈥� Benjamin said. 鈥淚 just wanted a clean slate.鈥�

In 2019, Benjamin enrolled at Northwest Vista College and eventually transferred to The University of Texas at San Antonio where he majored in mechanical engineering.

鈥淚 went from working a job where I didn’t really have to do anything besides walk around a mall鈥o having homework again,鈥� Benjamin said, adding how grateful he was to have a second chance to take courses in what he is truly passionate about.

But navigating college as an older student without a paycheck came with challenges 鈥� most notably how to pay tuition on top of his other bills, including car payments and credit card debt.

鈥淚 didn’t know if I was actually going to be able to stick with it the whole time,鈥� Benjamin said. 鈥淏ut fortunately enrolling in community college first was significantly cheaper and a lot more relaxed because [professors] know there鈥檚 other things outside of school that students have to worry about.鈥�

Enrolling in community college first offered him a better transition back into higher education, he added.

鈥淭he class sizes were so much smaller so you could get to know your professor very easily,鈥� Benjamin said. 鈥淎nd they don鈥檛 really do research at a community college so they were a lot more excited to show up to class than a lot of professors you will meet in a university.鈥�

Benjamin recently graduated with his bachelor鈥檚 degree and will continue his studies at The University of Texas at San Antonio 鈥� but instead of a 鈥淧hD in partying鈥� he鈥檒l be working towards a doctorate in chemical engineering.

鈥淚 know that classes can sometimes suck鈥ut I鈥檝e been in the workforce without a degree and I know that sucked a lot more,鈥� Benjamin said. 

鈥淚鈥檓 thankful to my community college for the professional development and helping me be a more open person,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was one of the best experiences of my life.鈥�

Loren Van Tilburg, 19

University of La Verne

Loren originally enrolled at the University of La Verne and majored in economics, but quickly grew disinterested in his studies.

After his first year, Loren made the decision to leave his four-year school and get a job.

He experimented with a few ways to earn income 鈥� from day trading to dropshipping 鈥� but found his real passion was taking care of cars.

In 2023, Loren started a car detailing business which involves traveling to his clients鈥� home to clean and repair their vehicles.

鈥淚 won鈥檛 sugarcoat it, the decision was very difficult,鈥� Loren told 蜜桃影视. 鈥淏ut at the end of the day, I knew that I wanted to start a business and I wouldn鈥檛 need a degree for it.鈥�

While balancing his budding business, he also began working with a brokerage firm to become a financial advisor, which involves studying for a securities license he aims to complete by the end of the year.

Loren鈥檚 desire for on-the-job training and trade certification compared to a four-year degree reflects the mindset of a growing number of young students.

鈥淚’ve always wanted to do something like this because managing money makes money,鈥� Loren said, adding that many of his coworkers had similar educational pathways.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a cool environment to be in,鈥� Loren said. 鈥淪o if anyone chooses the path that I chose, it鈥檚 really good to find a community of people that made similar life choices because they will understand where you’re coming from and your struggles.鈥�

For Loren, leaving his four-year school was the best decision he could make for himself despite initial pushback from his parents. 

鈥淭here have been ups and downs, but I definitely don’t regret my decision,鈥� Loren said.

鈥淔or me, if I have to resort to going back to school then I failed,鈥� he added. 鈥淚’m not saying if you go to college you’re a failure, but I chose this path for myself so if I go back then I kind of just wasted all this time.鈥�

This article is part of a series in partnership with reporter Joshua Bay鈥檚 highlighting the struggles of community college students.

In the midst of a child care crisis, community colleges continue to serve as an important link between families and child care access, and between communities and the early childhood teachers they need.

Any long-term child care solution also will inherently involve community colleges, said Robin Warfield, who wrote her doctoral dissertation on the intersection of early childhood education and community colleges.

“They are inextricably linked,” said Warfield, who has taught as an adjunct professor in early childhood at Alamance Community College, and now serves as the birth-to-3 coaching manager for the at the Child Care Services Association.

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Economists have described the child care industry as a broken market, because child care businesses cannot produce the desired product (high-quality early care and education) at a price that is affordable for most parents. Instead, parents struggle to afford care while teachers are paid some of the lowest wages of any industry. As federal relief funding for child care runs out on June 30 鈥� and the legislature is still debating whether to extend assistance, and by how much 鈥� those challenges could get worse.

Moving forward, colleges “absolutely need to be a part of the discussion,” Warfield said.

Reducing barriers

Community colleges provide support on both ends of the struggle: helping families afford and access care, and also strengthening the early childhood teacher pipeline.

From their inception, Warfield said, training the early childhood teacher workforce has “just always been part of what community colleges do,” she said.

Colleges also use grant funding through and federal sources, as well as private funds, to help student parents afford care. A handful of North Carolina’s community colleges also operate on-site child care programs. According to EdNC’s research, as well as the research of NC State University’s , 13 colleges have active on-site programs. Four more have closed an on-site program in the last four years.

“It just alleviates that huge barrier that can end up getting in the way and keeping them from being able to be successful in school,” said Crystal Harvey, director of at Forsyth Technical Community College, which serves preschool children and prioritizes serving the children of students.

The lab school also provides hands-on learning for students in Forsyth Tech’s early childhood department.

“They are receiving top-tier support, mentoring, and access to high-quality practices,” Harvey said.

Colleges’ on-site models vary across the state. Haywood Community College through its . Cape Fear Community College operates both a licensed full-day program at and for parents looking for more flexible options. Halifax Community College hosts . Sandhills Community College offers drop-in and after-school care for school-age children t on campus.

Piedmont Community College in recent years to its to stay open for a longer period of the day and to serve wider age ranges. Like the program at Forsyth, it creates learning opportunities for potential early childhood educators as well.

“We had to dig in and figure out some better solutions to make sure that we could continue to provide this service, which is an attractor for employees and students who might have young children, a service for the community, and it鈥檚 great for our own early childhood program 鈥� our students get to do some of their clinical time in that setting,” Piedmont President Pamela Senegal told EdNC in 2022. “It was just the right thing to do, but we had to figure out how to do it in a way that was financially sustainable.鈥�

Programs pull from a variety of sources to operate their programs, including the state’s child care subsidy program, private donations, state community college appropriations, and private tuition.

The on-site programs’ funding challenges reflect the broader challenges of the industry, Warfield said.

“They’re encountering the same problems that all facilities are encountering, which is they can’t retain teachers,” she said. Outside funding is needed to attract students to early childhood preparation programs and to support on-site and off-site programs, she said.

“I think they all need to be able to have on-site, high-quality child care,” Warfield said, “that is meant for the students and it’s also available to the community. And I think it needs to be its own thing, too. This just needs to happen for our economy.”

Here are the community colleges that EdNC knows are operating on-site programs:

• Alamance Community College
• Cape Fear Community College
• Davidson-Davie Community College
• Halifax Community College
• Haywood Community College
• Johnston Community College
• McDowell Technical Community College
• Nash Community College
• Piedmont Community College
• Sandhills Community College
• Southeastern Community College
• Vance-Granville Community College
• Wayne Community College

An underrepresented population

Beyond its lab school, Forsyth Tech is leading the way in holistically supporting student parents. It is one of five colleges across the country chosen to participate in , which is researching innovative practices and policies to support student parents.

The leader of Forsyth’s efforts, Shanta Reddick, has first-hand experience of the challenges.

“I’ve been the single mom that worked two jobs, had four kids, balancing it all and still finishing it,” said Reddick, director of student outreach at Forsyth, in an interview with EdNC in April. “So I’ve been through the challenges, and if I would have had an inkling of the support that we’re able to give, I knew what that could do.”

Reddick’s story, her example, and her work have made the difference between failure and success at school for students like Antoine Lash, a student with six children.

Seeing that Reddick could overcome challenges made Lash realize that “it’s a possibility,” he said. “When you see that you’ve got people along your way that can show you things like that, it’s 10 times better.”

The initiative, called SPARC (Student Parent Advocacy Resource Center), helps students afford care at the lab school and at private programs in the community, connects students to drop-in care through a partnership with a local provider, hosts student parent expos, and creates spaces for student parents to build community and shape the school’s policies.

The program uses funding from the state’s community college child care grant program, , and the federal grant.

SPARC also provides flexible support in moments of need. Lash recalled a moment when he was a couple of months behind paying for child care. He called Reddick for support.

“Next thing I know, they were like, ‘Your balance is being paid,'” Lash said. “It’s as streamlined as that.”

Reddick said she realized the need for better support for student parents during her time as a navigator for Forsyth Tech Cares, the college’s holistic support program that helps students meet their basic needs and connect to all kinds of community resources.

“I started seeing, they’re an underrepresented population,” Reddick said. “I started looking at the numbers. They’re making up 30% of our college campuses, and nobody is doing anything.”

Shanta Reddick, director of student outreach at Forsyth, talks about the focus groups she held with student parents. Liz Bell/EducationNC

She started by surveying student parents and asking about their experiences and needs. She got responses from 135 students, then held focus groups to dive deeper into their experiences. She heard familiar challenges from her own background: impossible hours, stresses, and expensive and hard-to-find child care.

“If they have the supports, they’ll finish quicker and faster than anyone else that’s coming into your college,” Reddick said.

She decided to create a Student Parent Council. “The goal is to give them a voice,” she said.

Reddick wants to build a library of books and resources for children and for parents, establish drop-in care on campus, and secure a physical location for SPARC.

Maya Clay, the mother of an 18-month-old with another baby due in August, had become pregnant while at a four-year university in Maryland. She had overcome great obstacles to get where she was after navigating dyslexia throughout school, she said.

She was thriving in school, almost in the nursing program, and maintaining a 3.5 GPA. Then she got pregnant.

“For a while I had this depression, because it’s like, ‘I don’t want to stop. I have so much potential going on,'” Clay said. She couldn’t find resources to support her pregnancy, and she couldn’t find child care access. She came home to Forsyth County, defeated.

She then looked at Forsyth Tech’s website and saw an advertisement for child care support through the college. She put in her information but didn’t think much about it, she said.

Then she got a call from Reddick.

“I was like, ‘Yes, I need help. It was that door, like hope brightening my future 鈥� helping me brighten myself up again. Because it was like, ‘I still have a chance.’ She gave me that fighting chance.”

Clay was able to return to in-person classes and is working toward a degree in biotechnology.

When she got pregnant this time around, Clay said, she was nervous. Her first pregnancy came with sacrifices to her goals. Instead, she was met with congratulations from Reddick.

“Being able to have somebody in your corner, who just wasn’t there to support you financially but emotionally, and like making sure you’re successful, and being able to link you to other resources, makes being a student parent here so different,” she said.

This first appeared on and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

How did the pandemic change community colleges and technical colleges?

The N.C. Community College System’s (NCCCS) primary legislative request this short session is money for Propel NC,聽. The request includes a nearly $100 million price tag for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024-25.

The State Board of Community Colleges unanimously approved the new plan in February, five months after the system officially began work in August to revise its funding model. The NCCCS鈥� current state funding model was created in 2010 and last updated in 2013.

鈥淭his is labor-market driven and where we need to be,鈥� Finance Committee Chair Lisa Estep 鈥淚t鈥檚 a much needed shift.鈥�

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The vast majority of funding for the state鈥檚 58 community colleges comes from state appropriations.

The system鈥檚 current funding model allocates resources to the colleges in proportion to the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) students they enroll in each of their programs. Certain courses receive more state funds than others based on a聽four-tier funding model.

Propel NC would shift the current FTE funding tiers to 鈥渨orkforce sectors,鈥� with courses ranked and valued by statewide salary job demand data every three years. All curriculum and continuing education (CE) courses would reside in the same workforce sector. The NCCCS this shift “prioritizes connecting students to high-demand, high-wage jobs.”

The anticipated cost of this component of the model is approximately $68.6 million,聽.

“The change from tiers to workforce sectors does more than bring in new dollars and simplify our categories,” Richmond Community College President Dr. Dale McInnis “It changes our business model at the college level. We will be able to make program and course decisions based on the quantified labor market value that education brings to the student as recognized by our state鈥檚 employers. The choice of offering a degree or short-term certificate will be driven by the value proposition for the student and the needs of the employers.”

Propel NC includes a $93 million recurring ask to lawmakers, according to聽聽outlining the model. There is a $99 million ask for FY 2024-25.

Here are the other components of the plan:

• Increase in base funding.聽The plan calls to increase the base allocation for instructional and academic support funds 5.8%, 鈥渨hich closes the gap to actual spending patterns and account for inflation,鈥� per the NCCCS document. 鈥淭his modification would also increase the enrollment allotment above 750 FTE based on this increase in other costs funding.鈥� The anticipated cost for this request is about $24.4 million.
• Enrollment increase reserve.聽The current enrollment growth reserve was implemented in 2010 in response to the large number of students enrolling in community colleges after the Great Recession. The system wants to request $6 million in non-recurring funds for a fixed per-FTE amount for any colleges that go over the enrollment threshold set by their FTE for the fiscal year. The system would then like to build replenishment of the fund into the recurring enrollment growth fund in the state budget.
• Excess tuition retention. Excess tuition receipts currently fund the enrollment increase reserve. Propel NC would change that, allowing excess tuition receipts to return to the college which generated them but only on years when the system as a whole generates excess receipts.

You can view more details about Propel NC, including projections for the proposed workforce sectors,聽. You can read more about how community colleges are currently funded聽.

What are people saying?

In January, NCCCS leaders said the system had already started meeting with lawmakers about Propel NC. In February, State Board Chair Tom Looney said the system had more than 100 letters of endorsement for the plan from businesses across the state.

鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 be more proud of where we鈥檝e arrived at this point in time. I think this is a game changer for our system,鈥� NCCCS President Dr. Jeff Cox said in November. 鈥淚t answers the call that I think we鈥檙e hearing from our legislature and our governor about the community colleges鈥� critical role in meeting the workforce needs of the future of our state. 鈥t aligns our system in a way we鈥檝e just never been before.鈥�

Feedback from lawmakers so far has been positive, NCCCS Information and Communications Specialist Marcy Gardner told EdNC in an email. System leaders plan to continue conversations and advocacy for Propel NC, she said.

鈥淲hile we hope to get the full funding to launch Propel NC this fall, we are developing contingency plans so that we can be prepared to move forward with whatever level of funding is ultimately approved in the state budget,鈥� Cox told EdNC.

Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, an ex-officio member of the State Board, expressed his support for the plan at the Board’s January and February meetings. Robinson is the Republican nominee for the 2024 governor’s race.

鈥淢oving from tiers-based to labor-market driven, I would suppose that would give us a lot more flexibility, so I think that鈥檚 very good,鈥� Robinson said. 鈥淐ommunity colleges are going to be essential (to the economy)鈥� so I鈥檓 glad to see the work that鈥檚 going on.鈥�

North Carolina has a projected one-time $1.4 billion surplus in state revenues through Fiscal Year (FY) 2025, according to . This essentially means there are $1.4 billion extra state dollars that lawmakers can choose to invest this short session.

With a Republican supermajority this session, Republicans will drive fiscal and policy decisions. On May 1st, the Senate Appropriations Committee聽approved a , which are state-funded vouchers families can use to pay for eligible private schools. To do so, the bill would allocate roughly an additional $463 million to the program over the next two years.

In addition to expanding vouchers, House Speaker Tim Moore,聽, told media he would like to see funding for child care subsidies, additional raises to school and state employees, and an additional $400 million toward Medicaid.

So far, the General Assembly’s only discussions regarding community colleges have involved clarifying terms for how local college board trustees are selected.

Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s included $34.3 million to implement Propel NC.

鈥淭his new funding model will help streamline degree attainment and prepare a well-trained workforce to meet the demands of the State鈥檚 growing economy,鈥� the proposal says.

Cooper’s proposal also allocated $3 million to establish the enrollment increase reserve. The governor鈥檚 proposal did not including funding to increase the base allocation for colleges.

John Locke Foundation Board Member John Hood also recently made the case for Propel NC in

“Implementing some version of the Propel NC model would require a modest increase in state funds,” he wrote. “Its advocates argue that community colleges not only produce labor-market returns but also serve as critical hubs in local communities. I find their argument persuasive.”

Enrollment growth adjustment

The NCCCS is also requesting an enrollment growth adjustment. This adjustment is usually funded in the budget, but it is not statutorily required.

During the Board’s finance committee meeting in March, the system shared an initial projection of $54 million in enrollment growth. Since then, the system has updated the enrollment growth estimate to $69 million, NCCCS’ Gardner said in an email.

The governor’s proposal included a $25 million enrollment growth adjustment for FY 2024-25, 鈥渂ased on the increase in community college enrollment. Community college enrollment increased by 4.6%, or 10,435 full-time equivalent students.鈥�

myFutureNC’s legislative priorities

Five years ago,聽聽of 2 million 25- to 44-year-olds with a high-quality credential or postsecondary degree by 2030.

鈥淔rom 2019 to 2022, the state has increased overall educational attainment by 4 percentage points from 53.4% to 57.4%,鈥� a . 鈥淏ut, most recent data show we still remain 391,900 away from 2 million, and are tracking 24,096 behind where we needed to be at this point in time to reach the goal.鈥�

Screenshot from myFutureNC’s legislative priorities document.

myFutureNC’s include NC workforce credentials, targeted financial aid provided to all postsecondary students who face unexpected emergencies, and local and regional technical assistance to promote collaboration.

The organization’s legislative request also includes two partner support items:

• Early foundations for success, including NC Pre-K and Science of Reading implementation.
• High-quality implementation of Career Development Plans, integrated through NCcareers.org.

“myFutureNC promotes the work of all sectors and helps find and fill gaps to drive educational access and attainment outcomes that align with and fulfill employer needs,” the document says.

You can read their full priorities .

This first appeared on and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

The proportion of Oregon鈥檚 community college enrollment made up of high schoolers has grown in recent years, and many aren鈥檛 taking classes on a campus. 

Overall, community college enrollment has plummeted in the past decade, but in 2021-2022 enrollment rose 3% and then grew another 4% in 2022-2023. High school students enrolled in community college classes made up nearly one-third of that growth. 

At five of the state鈥檚 17 community colleges, high schoolers enrolled in college credit classes made up 20% or more of the colleges鈥� headcount during the 2022-23 school year, the most recent year of Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission data.

Many of the high schoolers enrolled in community college classes are taking a college-level class in their high school, taught by a high school teacher. Nevertheless, the colleges still collect tens of thousands of dollars from the state by counting these students in their enrollment. High school teachers instructing the classes often do not receive extra pay, or are paid a stipend by the school districts, according to interviews with community colleges, districts and a representative of the state鈥檚 largest teachers鈥� union, the Oregon Education Association. 

State data shows that more than 26,000 high schoolers accounted for 14% of the more than 193,000 students enrolled in classes at the state鈥檚 community colleges in 2022-23. That proportion is double what it was in 2010. Though both high school and adult enrollment have fluctuated over the years, high school enrollment in community college has remained far more stable than adult enrollment and, in recent years, was slightly higher than it was a decade ago. The number of adults enrolled in recent years was about half of what it was a decade ago.

And it鈥檚 not just in community colleges. Between 2011 and 2021, high schoolers taking dual-credit classes through a state four-year public university increased from more than 3,500 to more than 8,900. The number grew during the pandemic while most Oregon universities saw their overall enrollment drop.

Pathway to College

Jim Pinkard, the higher education commission鈥檚 director of postsecondary finance and capital, said dual enrollment for college credit on campus or in high school is positive for students, high schools and community colleges. Once graduated from high school, students are on track to finish college sooner and are spared from paying full price for general education courses at post-secondary institutions.

鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to encourage students who know from a young age that they want to go to college to get a four year degree,鈥� Pinkard said. 鈥淚f you know from a young age you want to be a doctor, a nurse, a lawyer 鈥� if we tell you how you can start as a junior or senior in high school and get the basics out of the way 鈥� that鈥檚 one or two or three classes you don鈥檛 have to pay for later, and hopefully it lowers the cost of your degree.鈥�

Pinkard acknowledged that disparities exist in who is dual enrolled in college coursework. A 2023 from the commission found those enrolled are disproportionately white and female. Latino students are especially underrepresented among those dual enrolled.

And the share of high schoolers taking college-credit courses through five of Oregon鈥檚 community colleges was much higher than at others. At Blue Mountain Community College, Klamath Community College, Clackamas Community College, Columbia Gorge Community College and Lane Community College, high schoolers made up about 20% or more of the total enrollment. Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton had one of the largest shares, with dual-enrolled high schoolers accounting for nearly 30% of its enrollment.

Financial arrangements

Oregon is unusual in how it calculates per-pupil funding to community colleges, according to Pinkard of the Higher Education Coordinating Commission. Other states provide funding based on the cost to deliver a program. In some states, cost weights are used to reimburse colleges for students taking a welding course at a higher rate since that program costs more to deliver. In Oregon, community college funding per-pupil is based on the number of what's considered a "full-time equivalent" student.

When it comes to high schoolers dual enrolled, the state takes the number of hours each student spends in college-credit bearing classes, adds it up, then divides by 510 鈥� the length of instructional hours over three terms for a student considered enrolled "full-time."

Ultimately, the state sends about $6,300 per full-time equivalent student to the colleges. 

The school districts and colleges also have financial agreements over how much a student should pay in fees per credit, how and when college instructors should mentor and collaborate with the high school teachers and how credits should transfer. Some high schoolers aren鈥檛 charged additional fees, while some pay $30 to $50 per credit. 

But each college-credit class that an Oregon high schooler enrolls in contributes to the college鈥檚 funding. Put it this way: If 20 students are taking a college-level, dual-credit biology course for one hour every day for one term at their high school, a class that's instructed by a high school teacher, the state calculus equates it to a bit more than 1,100 hours of instruction. The state divides that by 510 to reach the determination that it should fund the community college to the tune of about two full-time equivalent students. So that one dual-credit high school class brings about $13,600 to the college.

Because students are attending the class at the high school, the district also gets to count the student toward its enrollment, so districts don't lose any of the per-pupil funding they receive annually from the state school funding formula: about $13,800 per student, on average. Some community colleges work out revenue sharing agreements with the schools to give the public school teachers some of the higher education funding from the state, but some don't. 

"Their cost in instructing that student is de minimis if they鈥檙e not paying that high school instructor," Pinkard said. 

The bulk of students from Pendleton High School in east Oregon who receive dual credit through Blue Mountain Community College take their classes at the high school, with a high school teacher. The high school does not get any extra money for that, and teachers do not get any additional compensation, according to Matt Yoshioka, director of curriculum, instruction and assessment at Pendleton High School. 

Blue Mountain does pay for the high school to employ Mandy Oyama, a college and career counselor, and it pays for faculty to mentor high school instructors and help administer courses and grading. The rest of the extra money Blue Mountain gets from the high school enrollment goes into its general fund, according to the college鈥檚 president, Mark Browning. 

Browning said the college is spending money to make to dual enrollment work, not raking it in. Between paying for college faculty to mentor high school teachers and develop courses, providing transcripts and accreditation, the costs add up, he said.

鈥淲hatever the HECC sends us does not cover the cost of instruction for our students. Take the total number of credits we teach, divided by $17.4 million 鈥� what our total budget is 鈥� that's what the cost of instruction is,鈥� he said. This year, according to Browning, HECC appropriated $4 million in per-pupil funding to Blue Mountain.

Browning said Oregon is far behind other states like Washington and Idaho, where the state government pays for dedicated post-secondary education options in high schools. In both Washington and Idaho, the state pays for the instructors who teach these college-credit courses in the high schools, and it pays for the staff who train teachers, develop courses and coordinate everything on the college鈥檚 side.

鈥淚n Oregon, we're just doing it all out of hide,鈥� Browning said. 鈥淭here are ways to do it better.鈥�

Pinkard agreed that overall the deals between colleges and high schools for dual credit aren鈥檛 wildly lucrative for the colleges, but he said, they help subsidize the college's other programs, such as adult basic education classes in math and reading that cost as little as $25 per credit at most community colleges. 

鈥淢ost of them are not making a helluva lot of money on it,鈥� Pinkard said. 鈥淏ut, there must be some that are making enough, because otherwise they wouldn鈥檛 be doing it.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oregon Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Lynne Terry for questions: info@oregoncapitalchronicle.com. Follow Oregon Capital Chronicle on and .

The data, released by the and the , found about one-third of community college students transfer to a four-year school with less than half graduating within six years 鈥� equating to the net completion rate of 16 percent.

But the report, in collaboration with the , saw even smaller completion rates for students who are Black, Latino and low-income at 9, 13 and 11 percent respectively.

John Fink, a senior research associate at the Community College Research Center, said this is because the transfer system is 鈥渞iddled with barriers鈥� from the historic lack of collaboration between community colleges and four-year schools.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not an equitable system when we rely on [community college] students to come in with knowledge of this hidden curriculum on how to transfer instead of holding institutions responsible for creating clear pathways and adequate advising along the way,鈥� Fink said.

The confusion and lack of clarity has added to students鈥� growing disdain for working towards a four-year degree as recent enrollment gains come particularly from community colleges with a vocational program focus, Fink said. 

鈥淭he [transfer system] largely replicates existing societal inequities,鈥� Fink said. 鈥淭he folks who are going to community college in large numbers are from communities that have historically had less access to bachelor and graduate degrees 鈥� like low-income and students of color.鈥�

鈥淚f there’s no additional resources and support to make up for this, you can expect to see these disparities in completion outcomes,鈥� Fink said.

Disparate Bachelor鈥檚 Degree Outcomes

The report showed mixed four-year completion outcomes from community college transfers demographically, Fink said. 

Low-income, Black and Latino students saw completion rates below the national average, in addition to men and students 25 years or older.

But high-income, Asian and White students saw completion rates above the national average, in addition to women and students 18 to 19 years old.

Fink said completion rates have increased slightly compared to previous years 鈥� jumping from 14 percent in 2016.

But he noted the increase is 鈥渘ot a lot [and] definitely not where we need it to be.鈥�

鈥淭here is so much potential here to create greater economic mobility, to further diversify student bodies and to bring in community college transfers that can perform at the same if not higher rates than non-transfer students,鈥� Fink said.

Fink said creating a 鈥渟ense of belonging鈥� on campus and expanding core practices such as dual enrollment will greatly improve transfer completion outcomes.

鈥淰isibility, belonging and inclusion are important things to think about in order to change some of these dismal outcomes nationally,鈥� Fink said.

鈥楨xclusionary鈥� Transfer Practices 

Dr. Marielena DeSanctis, president of the , said the completion disparities for students from low-income backgrounds are troubling.

鈥淭here鈥檚 plenty of data that speaks to more and more jobs requiring a bachelor’s degree, so it’s concerning when you start limiting the number of people that can attain one,鈥� DeSanctis said.

DeSanctis, who previously worked at , said Florida has a very different landscape for students to transfer from a community college to a four-year school compared to Colorado.

鈥淭here was no question that the courses you were taking were going to transfer and that it was going to be equivalent credits [but] here in Colorado that’s not the case,鈥� DeSanctis said, noting the harm of 鈥渆xclusionary鈥� transfer practices she鈥檚 noticed from four-year schools.

鈥淏ecause community colleges tend to be more racially and ethnically diverse, we should be telling students that community college is a vehicle to transfer to a university 鈥� particularly students that are ready to change the trajectory of their lives,鈥� DeSanctis said. 

Debi Gaitan, vice president of student services at , agreed with DeSanctis, adding that constraints placed on students from low-income backgrounds shouldn鈥檛 hinder them from having access to a four-year school whether they decide to transfer or go straight into the workforce.

鈥淪an Antonio is very much a city where we can see where our communities of poverty reside and they feed directly into our institutions,鈥� Gaitan said, noting that her students are often part-time, caring for family members and working to make ends meet.

鈥淲e want to ensure the stigma of not completing is not placed on this population,鈥� Gaitan said. 鈥淚t’s more about 鈥榙id they reach their goal of being able to get a better job with better income to get out of poverty.鈥欌��

Gaitan said it鈥檚 important for both community colleges and four-year schools to actively reach out to students from low-income backgrounds.

鈥淪tudents that have choices and are resourced know about us and know what we have to offer,鈥� Gaitan said. 鈥淭herefore we need to shift to the communities that don’t know we’re here鈥because] students from intergenerational cycles of poverty need those same resources our upwardly mobile, higher income communities already have.鈥�

Gaitan said resources that have been effective in her community include counseling programs and 鈥渁partment starters鈥� where students have access to microwaves, washing machines and other household needs so they can focus on their studies.

鈥淭hese are communities that need us to be different and need us to be doing more,鈥� Gaitan said. 鈥淲e want as many people in higher education to know this as possible because that’s how we have learned and that’s how we have adopted and adapted some really promising practices.鈥�

This article is part of a series in partnership with reporter Joshua Bay鈥檚 highlighting the struggles of community college students.

Adam Townsend has been a mechanic his whole life, and plans to turn it into a career upon completion of his training at Indian Hills Community College. He found his passion for aviation in high school, and though he thought about becoming a pilot, aviation maintenance allows him to combine his interests at a college close to home with a good program.

Now in his second year of the program, Townsend is already interning at a company in Des Moines and plans to continue there full-time after graduation. He said the recognition Indian Hills Community College is receiving through a federal grant solidifies his opinion of how good and important the school鈥檚 training is.

鈥淚t makes me proud, honestly, it makes me feel that much more confident in my schooling and the knowledge that I鈥檝e absorbed through my professors and through the school,鈥� Townsend said. 鈥淚t makes me feel like I鈥檓 more prepared.鈥�

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The has awarded a combined amount of almost $1.3 million to three Iowa community colleges to help update and support their aviation training programs.

Indian Hills Community College and Iowa Western Community College are receiving $302,816 and $500,000 for their aviation maintenance and mechanics programs, respectively, and Iowa Lakes Community College has been awarded $493,657 for its aviation programs.

Each community college will use funds from the grants to obtain new equipment and technology for their programs, from virtual reality systems to drones.

Indian Hills Community College North Campus Program Director Kimberly Dreaden said there is a lot of theory involved in the aviation maintenance curriculum that can be hard to understand unless the students can actually see the equipment, which can be difficult since many of the systems are hidden behind walls within the plane. Having new training aids and VR systems will help students better understand what they鈥檙e working with.

鈥淥ur goal is to use some of these funds to obtain these trainings so students can see how these systems work and what the general flow (is), minus just using a diagram, like giving them a very active engagement with it,鈥� Dreaden said.

Equipment like VR technology can also be taken into classrooms to show high school students what they could be doing if they pursue a career in aviation mechanics, and to provide access to people who cannot commute to the college for in-person training.

Kyle Norris, an executive dean at Iowa Lake Community College, said the college is planning to expand its aviation programming into emerging technologies like drones and rotary wing piloting and is opening new aviation cohorts in Spencer and Estherville. One of their goals is to fill the aviation career pipeline and reach more students throughout the region.

Drones, simulators and other technology will help the college engage with more high school students and show them that there isn鈥檛 just one path for aviation students.

鈥淭his will help us open those doors to high school students that might be thinking of a career in agriculture and then really have a keen interest in the aviation side, and understanding that it just doesn鈥檛 mean flying planes for a commercial industry,鈥� Norris said.

Promotion of the programs is another area where the colleges will be putting dollars, including expanding partnerships with schools and employers in order to attract students. Diana Garcia, dean of industrial technology and transportation at Iowa Western Community College, said the college previously used grant dollars from a different FAA grant for the same purpose with positive results.

Indian Hills Community College and Iowa Western Community College will also allocate some of the grant dollars to stipends and scholarships for students in order to relieve some of their financial burdens while trying to earn their certifications.

Dreaden said costs of new tools and even certification examinations can be a barrier for some students, especially if they鈥檙e handling housing and food costs alongside them, and the college wants to offer support where it can.

Like Townsend, Dreaden has personal ties to her passion. Growing up with her father and grandfather both involved in aviation mechanics, Dreaden knows first-hand the career鈥檚 benefits, but she also knows the barriers it has to people trying to get their start in the industry. Being able to help students receive the tools and access they need to thrive is important, especially in an industry where she said the college 鈥渃an鈥檛 give them enough people.鈥�

Beth Elman, marketing executive director for Iowa Lakes Community College, said receiving these funds is made even better when she gets to see the passion in students as they experience the college鈥檚 programming.

鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting that we鈥檙e able to have those funds to help catapult the lives of future students, and I think that that鈥檚 what these grants really mean,鈥� Elman said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e investing in our program, but really, they鈥檙e investing in our future and the future of our students.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com. Follow Iowa Capital Dispatch on and .

The found community colleges led overall undergraduate enrollment growth in the fall of 2023 by 2.6 percent, or 118,000 students, compared to the previous year.

Community college gains were carried by those with a vocational program focus 鈥� pointing to students鈥� growing disdain for working towards a four-year degree.

鈥淲e have shortages in a lot of jobs that require bachelor鈥檚 degrees,鈥� said Josh Wyner, founder and executive director of the , including well-paying careers in nursing, teaching and software engineering that pay north of $50,000 annually.

鈥淪o when we see students entering community college not in those liberal arts programs that lead to bachelor鈥檚 degrees, it鈥檚 troubling,鈥� Wyner said, adding that a vocational degree won鈥檛 provide the long-term financial payoff that would more likely come from a four-year education.

Career-Driven Programs Lead Enrollment Growth

Community colleges with a vocational program focus grew 16 percent in the fall of 2023 compared to the previous year鈥檚 3 percent gain 鈥� bringing them above their pre-pandemic enrollment by nearly 30,000 students.

But, transfer-focused community colleges only grew slightly by 0.2 percent in the fall of 2023 compared to the previous year鈥檚 1.1 percent drop 鈥� continuing their pre-pandemic enrollment decline by more than 500,000 students.

鈥淭here鈥檚 fewer community college students entering a transfer pipeline that we can鈥檛 afford to lose,鈥� said John Fink, a senior research associate at the .

This trend comes as community colleges remain in a 鈥渧ery deep hole鈥� because their uptick in enrollment doesn鈥檛 come close to pre-pandemic numbers, he added.

The report found community college growth in the fall of 2023 brings current enrollment to about 4.5 million students.

Popular programs include computer science, business and health that grew by 9.1, 3.5 and 2.4 percent respectively. 

But, there were more than 5.2 million students enrolled pre-pandemic 鈥� leaving community colleges with a net loss of nearly 700,000 students.

鈥淐ommunity college growth is certainly an encouraging sign, but there’s still a long way to go to get back to where we were,鈥� said Jeremy Cohen, a research associate at the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

Despite the growing number of companies no longer requiring job applicants to have a four-year degree, their hiring behavior hasn鈥檛 changed, Wyner said.

鈥淭he majority of good jobs in our country are populated by workers that have a bachelor’s or greater,鈥� Wyner said. 鈥淪o if students aren’t enrolling in community college programs that align with attaining a bachelor’s, we’re going to really struggle filling job vacancies in the future.鈥�

Wyner said the main factor community college-goers rely on to decide whether a four-year degree is worth pursuing is 鈥渨ord-of-mouth鈥� experiences from current students.

鈥淚f a student leaves [a four-year] college without a degree or with a degree that didn鈥檛 give them a better life than they would have had if they never attended, they鈥檙e going to go back to their communities and when people ask if it was worth it their answer is going to be no,鈥� Wyner said. 

鈥淪o the decisions we鈥檙e seeing them make may be entirely rational because the educational system keeps failing far too many of them,鈥� he added.

Transfer Student Declines Impact Four-Year Schools

This trend has implications for four-year institutions that rely on transfer students as part of their enrollment strategy, Fink said. 

鈥淚t might seem like this is a community college issue, but that’s going to translate in years forward to many four-year institutions,鈥� Fink said.

Wyner added how leaders at four-year institutions need to play their part in correcting community college enrollment declines.

鈥淚nstead of lamenting the fact that student enrollment in community colleges has come down, four-year schools need to lean in and do something about it,鈥� Wyner said, such as emulating Northern Virginia Community College鈥檚 that provides dual enrollment and guaranteed admission at George Mason University.

He said their program transfers more than 4,000 students every year to George Mason University and has a graduation rate of over 70 percent 鈥� higher than the national undergraduate average of .

鈥淚f you create really strong pathways for students, they’ll come back to community colleges,鈥� Wyner said.

This article is part of a series in partnership with reporter Joshua Bay鈥檚 highlighting the struggles of community college students.

Several national organizations tied to higher education have asked colleges and universities to delay their usual May enrollment deadlines to accommodate students who will not begin to receive their financial aid packages until March as a result of FAFSA delays.

The nine organizations, which include the National College Attainment Network and the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, or NASFAA, sent their  Wednesday to give students and their families more time to consider financial aid offers and decide where 鈥� or if 鈥� to attend college.

The news that application information, the data institutions use to determine the amount of financial aid a student will receive, would not be available for another four weeks 鈥� at least 鈥� concerned these groups. During a normal cycle, colleges and universities would begin to receive that information in October. This year, the information initially was expected in January.

In their joint statement, the groups encouraged schools to give some latitude to students and families as they consider their offers of admission and financial aid due to the continued delays with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, applicant data.

鈥淒uring the pandemic, many institutions extended their enrollment, scholarship, and financial aid deadlines beyond the traditional May 1 date, and we urge institutions to make similar accommodations this year,鈥� the statement read. 鈥淲e all want students and families to have the time they need to consider their financial options before making enrollment decisions.鈥�

El Paso Community College, like all higher education institutions around the country, awaits guidance and information from the Department of Education, said Keri Moe, EPCC鈥檚 associate vice president of External Relations Communications & Development.

鈥淲hile these delays are beyond the institution鈥檚 control, EPCC is committed to working with students and will revise deadlines, if possible and as allowed, to ensure as many students who are eligible for financial aid can receive it,鈥� Moe said.  

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso has a series of 鈥減riority dates鈥� because its programs in nursing, medicine, dental science and biomedical science start throughout the year.

鈥淪tudents who submit their FAFSA to us on or before these priority dates are considered for all grants, scholarships and available aid until funds are exhausted,鈥� a center spokesman said. 鈥淭he university鈥檚 Office of Financial Aid will adjust its priority awarding dates based on dates provided by the Department of Education.鈥�

A University of Texas at El Paso spokesman said UTEP does not have a decision deadline.

Justin Draeger, president of the NASFAA, said the current timeline will severely delay award letters and limit the choices of college-going students.

鈥淥ur nation鈥檚 colleges are once again left scrambling as they determine how best to work within these new timelines to issue aid offers as soon as possible 鈥� so the students who can least afford higher education aren鈥檛 the ones who ultimately pay the price for these missteps,鈥� Draeger said in a prepared statement.

Andres Orozco, an accounting, business and economics major at EPCC, said he had submitted his FAFSA for the 2024-25 academic year and hoped to receive the same $1,900 the college awarded him last year.

Orozco, a 2023 Irvin High School graduate, sighed when he learned about the latest delay, but was adamant that nothing would keep him from his academic journey. He said that he would divert more of the money he earns working at the Northeast Albertsons supermarket to his college fund if necessary.  

鈥淭his is not the best news,鈥� Orozco said. 鈥淭his will affect a lot of students who need that money to go to school. I will go to school no matter what. I want to finish. I will find a way.鈥�

Angel Waters, a senior at Transmountain Early College High School, said he plans to complete his FAFSA soon. He said he wants to study computer science at UTEP or New Mexico State University, and be part of NMSU鈥檚 Air Force ROTC program.

Waters, a first-generation college student, said that while he is not concerned about the delays now, he will be if it takes longer than early March to receive his financial aid letters.

Kayla Carter, a 17-year-old senior who is homeschooled, said that she has yet to fill out her FAFSA, but hopes that she will get enough financial aid to enroll in Heartland Baptist Bible College in Oklahoma City, Okla., to study ministry. If that does not work out, she wants to enroll at EPCC or UTEP as a nursing major.

鈥淏eing away from home will be an issue if my (financial aid) is delayed,鈥� said Carter, who lives on the East Side.

The expected delays in the financial aid packages is the latest setback for the new FAFSA, dubbed the 鈥淏etter鈥� FAFSA because it was designed to be simpler and faster for students and their families to fill out. It also will give students more opportunities for more financial aid. The application overhaul was ordered by Congress as part of the .

The form usually is available Oct. 1 and institutions receive the application information within days. This cycle, the Department of Education did not launch the FAFSA until Dec. 30 on a limited basis. It became available around the clock in early January. Initially, the government told colleges and universities to expect the applicant information by late January.

The submitted forms have their own , but eventually an ISIR (Institutional Student Information Record) is routed to the higher education institutions or career schools requested by the students. In the past, this process took a few days, but some experts estimate that this cycle could take a few weeks or longer. Once a school receives the applicant information, it usually takes that institution several weeks to evaluate, process, package and send award letters to students. The speed of that process depends on the institution鈥檚 resources.

This first appeared on and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Most Texas community college students who transfer to a four-year university don鈥檛 graduate, according to a report on college transfers released Wednesday.

The study from found that only 45% of students who go on to a four-year college get a bachelor’s degree in Texas. Black and adult students struggle even more after they transfer out of a community college, with just 33% and 37% completing their bachelor鈥檚 degree, respectively.

Community colleges have long pitched themselves as the most affordable place to start studying for a bachelor鈥檚 degree. But Wednesday鈥檚 report, the first to break down state transfer outcomes by race, socioeconomic status and age, suggests transfer students need more support to complete their degrees.

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鈥淣o wonder there is this distrust in higher education when transfer students who enter these kinds of institutions can’t realize their goals,鈥� said Tania LaViolet with the Aspen Institute.

The report also found low-income and adult learners are less likely to transfer to a four-year university from a community college, compared to their classmates.

Texas legislators last year to incentivize transfers. Community colleges now get more money when their students earn at least 15 semester credit hours before enrolling in a four-year university. In the 2024-25 school year, the first year under the new funding model, Texas community colleges earned nearly $327 million for funneling their students into four-year colleges.

That doesn鈥檛 guarantee success for a student once they enroll at a four-year university. For one, classes they take at their community college often . And those who do eventually graduate are not graduating fast enough, which delays their entry into the workforce and can mean the amount of money they pay for college continues to accrue, LaViolet said.

To save students from spending time and money on unnecessary credits, Texas encouraged universities to be more transparent about what it takes to get a degree. mandates universities for every major, so students can use them as a guide to select courses at community colleges. It also required universities to report any non-transferrable credits.

But many of the degree plans that universities have shared are not clear enough, said Lauren Schudde, a professor in higher education policy at the University of Texas-Austin.

鈥淚’ve looked at some of the different transfer plans that students have to navigate. It’s hard for me to figure out what courses exactly they’re supposed to take,鈥� Schudde said.

Texas public universities say they have struggled to meet the needs of transfer students partly because of gaps in staffing and funding, according to in a 2023 Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board report.

Participation in dual enrollment 鈥� an effort Texas community colleges have invested in 鈥� are tied to better transfer outcomes, researchers at the Aspen Institute and the Community College Research Center said.

They also recommended community colleges should advise their students to get an associate鈥檚 degree first. Those who transfer out with an associate鈥檚 degree have much higher rates of bachelor鈥檚 degree completion within six years.

Earning an associate鈥檚 degree first guarantees students will have a postsecondary credential, even if they do not finish their bachelor鈥檚 degree. But in Texas, Schudde said students risk taking additional community college credits that will not apply to a four-year degree.

The Texas Tribune partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage.

This article originally appeared in at .

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.

Starting next year, the number of high school graduates will begin to in Mississippi. That’s the looming reality a joint hearing of the House and Senate Colleges and Universities committees zeroed in on Wednesday.

In Mississippi, this trend, called the 鈥渆nrollment cliff,鈥� will force the largely tuition-dependent colleges and universities to compete for a shrinking pool of students. Regional institutions like Delta State University, Mississippi University for Women and Mississippi Valley State University, all of which are already struggling with enrollment, will be especially hurt.

The state is poised to see the second-worst decline of high school graduation rates in the Southern U.S. by 2027 after Virginia, according to data presented by Noel Wilkin, the University of Mississippi鈥檚 provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs.

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The committee wanted to know: What is the Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees, the governing body for Mississippi鈥檚 eight public universities, doing about this?

鈥淲hen can we expect a report to detail those recommendations and strategies for the future,鈥� Sen. Scott DeLano, R-Biloxi vice chair of the Senate committee, asked Al Rankins, the IHL commissioner.

鈥淲henever you鈥檇 like to see a report,鈥� Rankins responded. IHL has been talking about the enrollment cliff for years, he added, and has a working group focused on the regional college鈥檚 unique needs.

Kell Smith, the director of the Mississippi Community College Board, which operates differently from IHL, attended the hearing but did not present. He said MCCB doesn鈥檛 have a strategic plan for the enrollment cliff but some of the individual community colleges might.

鈥淰ery simply 鈥� how can we fix the problem to prepare for 15 years from now?鈥� Rep. Donnie Scoggin, R-Ellisville the House chair, asked Wilkin.

There are few simple answers. The enrollment cliff is unavoidable, the product of declining birth rates that will be exacerbated by out-migration from Mississippi and deaths due to the COVID-19 pandemic, John Green, a Mississippi State University professor, told the committee.

But the changing economics of higher education is largely the years ago. In Mississippi, the four-year public universities are all more dependent on tuition than they are state appropriations.

Rankins presented a chart showing that in 2000, state appropriations supported nearly 60% of the universities operating budgets, while tuition was 26%. In fiscal year 2023, that ratio had basically flipped, with tuition supporting 64% of operating budgets.

This raises the question: If Mississippi鈥檚 colleges and universities are increasingly reliant on student tuition, not taxpayer dollars, are they still a public service?

It鈥檚 complicated, said Rep. Lance Varner, a member of the House committee, whose 16-year-old daughter has started getting recruitment letters from out-of-state colleges hoping to attract her away from Mississippi.

鈥淚f you own a business, your goal is to try to get people to come to your business,鈥� he said.

At the same time that he thinks higher education is a public good, Varner, R-Florence, said he bets the universities wish they could be even less dependent on state appropriations.

鈥淓very one of those colleges is working hard to make sure they鈥檙e self-sufficient,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 want to depend on the Legislature.鈥�

At the University of Mississippi, tuition and fees now represent 78% of its total operating budget, according to IHL鈥檚 presentation, the highest of any public university.

A huge driver of that is the number of out-of-state students, who pay nearly three times more for tuition than Mississippi residents, now make up half the university鈥檚 total population of more than $21,000, Wilkin told the committee. This is one way Ole Miss is responding to the enrollment cliff, which it started preparing for in 2017.

鈥淲e have become a destination state for higher education,鈥� Wilkin said.

University of Mississippi netted $62 million in tuition from in-state students in fiscal year 2023 鈥� but brought in $188 million from non-resident students. It鈥檚 a crucial revenue source that, Wilkin said, allows Ole Miss to keep its costs down for in-state students.

鈥淚f I were to take all the revenue that comes from in-state students and all the state appropriations we get and compare that to what it costs us to educate those students, we鈥檙e still left with a multimillion-dollar hole,鈥� Wilkin said.

Wilkin also discussed the 鈥渋ntangible鈥� aspect of higher education that shapes if, why and where students attend college, especially in light of the fact high school graduates are becoming more diverse.

鈥淎ll of us see there have been questions raised about the value of a higher education degree today,鈥� he said.

By 2036, white students are projected to comprise 43% of high school graduates compared to 51% today. Black students will increase from 25% to 28%.

Smith, the MCCB director, said after the meeting that community colleges need to be focusing more on students who don鈥檛 have a high school diploma.

鈥淲e need to go after those students irregardless of what the enrollment cliff looks like,鈥� he said.

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Iowa鈥檚 community colleges are seeing returns on recruiting efforts and partnerships with schools and businesses in the form of rising enrollment in 2023.

Enrollment in community colleges grew by 3.8% from last year, according to the Iowa Department of Education , with a total of 85,362 students spread across the state. Part-time student numbers reached an all-time high, making up two-thirds of total enrollment.

While enrollment isn鈥檛 back to where it was before the COVID-19 pandemic began, with more than 88,000 students attending community colleges in 2019, the report stated this is the second year of increased enrollment in the state.

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鈥淚 think that despite challenges facing higher (education) nationally, we鈥檙e faring well,鈥� Community Colleges for Iowa Executive Director Emily Shields said.

Out of the state鈥檚 15 community colleges, nine saw increased enrollment. Des Moines Area Community College saw the highest number of enrolled students at 24,418 and the largest over-year increase of almost 13%. Indian Hills Community College saw the largest decrease in enrollment, dropping by 3.7% to 3,236 students.

Iowa falls behind the national average with its enrollment trends, according to the report. National enrollment in two-year institutions increased by 4.4%, helped by a 9% increase in part-time students. In Iowa, part-time student enrollment increased by 0.8%.

Full-time enrollment also dropped in both Iowa and across the country, with the state reporting a 0.8% decrease and the U.S. seeing a 0.2% drop.

Joint enrollment, in which students are simultaneously taking high school and college credit classes, increased in Iowa by 7.9%, while the national average increased by 8.8%. Shields said she doesn鈥檛 like to compare the state and national numbers with joint enrollment, as she believes Iowa has been ahead of other states with tapping that market and has already seen major growth.

The biggest issue four-year universities and community colleges alike are up against is predicted drops in enrollment, Shields said, and it is a two-pronged problem. The first factor is that there will be fewer students graduating high school in the coming years, making the pool of applicants to colleges smaller. The other challenge is that fewer high school graduates are choosing to seek any post-secondary education, despite the majority of careers requiring a certification or degree of some kind.

鈥淲e鈥檙e facing a lot of pressures that are kind of driving down enrollment nationally, that we鈥檙e trying to address locally in different ways, but they are making it more challenging to kind of keep enrollment where it needs to be and keep college affordable and continue to attract students,鈥� Shields said.

Efforts on the national level to expand financial aid for certain programs could help bolster enrollment in certification and other non-degree training programs, Shields said. The , which has passed out of the U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee, would extend Pell Grant eligibility to some short-term workforce programs like those implemented by Iowa鈥檚 community colleges.

With the looming enrollment cliff and fewer students interested in pursuing an education after high school, Community Colleges for Iowa and the institutions it works with are trying to spread recruitment programs to a variety of areas.

Shields said community colleges don鈥檛 have the luxury of trying to target specific types of students, whether they be just out of high school or working adults, and thus are using career and college transition counselors embedded in high schools and partnerships with businesses to try and reach traditional and nontraditional students.

Judging by the 7.9% increase in joint enrollment and 3.1% jump in Iowa Career and Technical Education enrollment, Shields said these strides seem to be paying off.

鈥淚 think that really reflects where we鈥檝e made a lot of efforts to align with the state鈥檚 workforce to partner even more with high schools and just to offer lots of different options for Iowans to start and continue their education,鈥� Shields said.

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