More than 70 percent of California community college freshmen are assigned to algebra remediation. The success rates for these students have not been encouraging. Each year, more than 140,000 students take their first remedial math course in a California community college. More than 100,000 of them will never complete the math required to earn a […]

The national graduation rate for public high school students is on the rise, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics. The graduation rate rose to 83.2 percent in 2014-15. This number comes from measuring the percentage of students who graduate with a regular high school diploma within four years of starting 9th […]

West Kentucky Community and Technical College (WKCTC) serves a population of students who often struggle to understand the expectations of college and how to reach the educational goal of earning a college credential. Recognizing the continued needs of its student population, WKCTC embarked on a project in 2014 to help students find their paths at […]

In rural Arkansas, where poverty and underemployment are common, a pilot program has been developed to provide certificates, credentials and licenses to high school students. The program is not only preparing students for good-paying jobs, but also filling local workforce needs. Leaders from Arkansas State University-Newport and Cedar Ridge High School spoke about the program […]

There is consensus in the field that major changes need to be made to how incoming community college students are assessed for college readiness, and how their knowledge and skills shortcomings are addressed. There’s been a great deal of experimentation and transformation on campuses across the country. One approach being tried, primarily in mathematics, is […]

In June 2015, educators and administrators from New Jersey’s Freehold Regional High School District (FRHSD) and Brookdale Community College met to brainstorm ways to use U.S. Department of Education Title I grant money to help economically disadvantaged high school students succeed in college. The goal was to prepare them for the Accuplacer exam and teach […]

In 2011, policymakers for the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) enlisted the services of Columbia University’s Community College Research Center to find out whether tools other than high-stakes exams could be used to determine course placement for incoming students. At the time, more than 65 percent of North Carolina community college students were being […]

Washington state is currently facing a severe K–12 teacher shortage, and career and technical education (CTE) teachers — which help prepare students for entry-level jobs as biomedical researchers, physical therapy assistants, robotics experts, forensic technologists and much more — are in particularly short supply. About four years ago, Olympic College (OC), in Bremerton, Washington, decided […]

Through Holyoke Community College’s (HCC) Gateway to College program, students who’ve disengaged from or dropped out of high school attend classes on campus, earning their diploma while also accumulating college credit. Getting students re-engaged in their education is not always easy. In fact, the first few years of the program were a “nightmare,” says program […]

Clark State Community College is doing its part to address the shortage of cybersecurity professionals. Through National Science Foundation (NSF) grants, the Ohio community college offers high school students cybersecurity internships to develop their interest in the field. The Cybersecurity Summer Internship Program, which started in 2008, is also open to college students. The students […]