A report released on Saturday at the convention of the American Association of Community Colleges details the problems plaguing our nation’s community colleges, including too few students completing their degrees, too many students entering remedial programs, and too few students enrolling in programs leading to available jobs. The commission, among other things, recommended working with K-12 schools to cut the number of students who arrive at college needing remedial classes, and to use more evidence when designing programs. Learn more about the report here.
A joint Hamilton Project/Center for American Progress paper by Bridget Terry Long offers one approach to strengthening colleges and universities, including our community college systems. Her proposal would allow prospective college students and their parents to compare the value and affordability of colleges and universities. Long called for the federal government to expand the types of information that are available and allow users to compare indicators like cost, financial aid, student debt, employment outcomes, and average salaries following graduation, across peer institutions. By creating greater transparency, students will have information about the courses and programs with the greatest track record of success with regard to graduation, employment and wages.
The Hamilton Project has also undertaken work to help strengthen the K-12 education system through the use of incentives in education, opportunities for organizational changes to improve performance, and a new approach to accountability for teachers and students. Learn more about The Hamilton Project’s work in education here.
