Saving the College Dream
Community colleges are in trouble. Their enrollment has fallen by 37% since 2010, and nearly half of students drop out within a year. Scant advising, labyrinthian financial aid, and unclear career pathways are among the challenges facing the two-year schools and their students. Seven newsrooms joined together to explore the crisis facing these institutions, and ways to solve it. The series is a collaboration between AL.com, The Associated Press, The Christian Science Monitor, The Dallas Morning News, The Hechinger Report, The Seattle Times, and The Post and Courier in Charleston, South Carolina, with support from the Solutions Journalism Network.
‘The reckoning is here’: Where have community college students gone?Seven newsrooms joined together to explore the crisis facing community colleges, and ways to solve it, in a series called Saving the College Dream.
Two Alabama community colleges are taking a new approach to advisingThe SENSE program, now in its third year, aims to solve a problem that impacts community colleges across the country, as well as in Alabama: poor completion rates. (Photo: Rebecca Griesbach/AL.com)
Why many students are choosing trade programs over collegeWhile almost every sector of higher education is seeing fewer students registering for classes, many trade programs are experiencing increased enrollment.
These community college classes offer two teachers – and a path to successHow can community college students master basic skills and prepare for jobs at the same time? Washington state offers a model that supports success. Part of the Saving the College Dream series.
Why is it so hard to transfer community college credits?How can better aligning course offerings among schools help community college transfer students complete four-year degrees?
How success coaches ‘dig a little deeper’ to anticipate and tackle Dallas College studentsSuccess coaches, a more hands-on approach to advising, are Dallas College’s latest effort to demystify the process of obtaining a degree and help its students overcome obstacles along the way. (Photo: Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News)
16 weeks to a new job: Can certificate programs be game changers?Adult learners can’t always devote two or four years to a degree. Can certificate programs help bridge the gap to better employment, and help companies fill labor shortages?
