Clik here to view.
It’s Not The Jobs, Romney; It’s The Skills
To create jobs, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney wants to cut taxes on “job creators” and generally get the government out of the way. But many manufacturers around the country say the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Why Doesn’t Paul Ryan Like Community College Innovation?
The White House recently announced the second round of funding for the $2 billion, uninspiringly-named Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant program. I was...
View ArticleThe Community College Problem in Erie (and Other Cities Like It)
Within six years, two-thirds of all American jobs will require a postsecondary degree or certificate. The bad news? Less than one in three Americans currently has a bachelor’s degree. The good news?...
View ArticleGE’s Move Illustrates Need For Community College in Small-Town Pa.
It’s happening. Erie, Pa., a town struggling to keep hold of its manufacturing prowess, is losing its grasp. General Electric, the county’s largest employer, announced last week that it will move its...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Use Caution When Ranking Community Colleges
By definition, community colleges are hyper-local institutions that aim to serve and support their local workforce. Some community colleges do that by training more welders and machinists; others...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Making Higher Education More Cost-Effective
The cost of college for students goes up every time they’re placed in a remedial course or they lose credits because of a transfer, says Teresa Lubbers, Indiana’s Commissioner for Higher Education. “It...
View ArticleTalk Is Cheap In Higher Education
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam is starting a series of roundtable discussions focused on revamping higher education in his state. The first question, he says, should be to the business community: “What are...
View ArticleThe Canary in the Coalmine?
Community college enrollments dropped in the fall 2011 for the first time since 2007. It’s a decline worth noting since American community colleges are the most important educational safety net for...
View ArticleCan Community Colleges Live Up To Potential?
Los Angeles student Norphesa Jones, 34, schleps 20 miles by bus between two community college campuses two days a week in order to take the prerequisites she needs to become a nurse. And 19-year-old...
View ArticleWho Should Go to College? Beyond Semantics and False Dichotomies
What do we mean when we talk about “going to college?” The answer is that we mean many different things. In principle, there’s nothing wrong with that. Our higher education system is vast and varied....
View ArticleWhat Happens In California Matters
Over the past fifty years, few states have been able to harness the power of higher education to drive growth and improve the quality of life for its residents quite like California. The state set its...
View ArticleThe Rocky Road to Coeducation at Deep Springs: Dissidents and Donor Intent
Deep Springs College has intrigued me ever since I first read about the singular institution in a mass-mailing sent to me as a high school student. The tiny, all-male, two-year college is located on a...
View ArticleMore Bad News for Erie (And More Reason for a Community College)
The bad news continues for Erie, Pa. I wrote about this lakeside city last year, detailing failed efforts to establish a community college in the town formerly known for its manufacturing prowess....
View ArticleConsidering the Generational Divide in Online Learning
A paper released recently by the Community College Research Center reminds the champions of MOOCs and other online initiatives of one very important detail: Not all students prefer an online education;...
View Article
