Here are three reports to check out this month.

1. A new report from the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) Research Center shows big enrollment drops this fall. Community college enrollments have dropped by an alarming average of 7.5 percent so far this fall. That’s a far higher rate than the 2.5 percent national average decrease for undergraduates at all higher education institutions. These data, if they hold for all community colleges, suggest that approximately 500,000 fewer students are enrolled in community college this fall, said Kent Phillippe in a CC Daily article. Phillippe is associate vice president of research and student success at the American Association of Community Colleges. Of particular note, traditional-age students and Black students were much less likely to enroll this fall at community colleges. Also, fewer students this fall enrolled in shorter-term programs.
2. Adults without degrees who want more education say the pandemic has made them more likely to enroll. However, they have become less confident over the past year that it will be worth the cost or lead to a job. That’s according to a new survey from Strada Public Viewpoint shows. Adults ages 25 to 44 indicate the pandemic has made them more likely to enroll in education, 42 percent compared to 21 percent who said they were less likely to enroll due to COVID-19. Those same adults, who don’t have a two- or four-year degree, are less confident about the value of additional education than they were a year ago.
3. National Voter Registration Day was Tuesday. Are Generation Z college students planning to vote? Yes, according to a report from Barnes & Noble Education Inc. Ninty-four percent of registered voters and those who plan to register plan to vote in the presidential election. Gen Z accounts for one in 10 eligible voters.