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Posts Tagged ‘community colleges’

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House Hearings in PA and NY Look at Role of Higher Ed in Job Training

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011

This week, the House Education and the Workforce Committee held two field hearings in Pennsylvania and New York entitled, “Reviving our Economy: The Role of Higher Education in Job Growth and Development.” At these hearings, the Committee heard from representatives from local schools and colleges about the education and workforce needs in their communities and their ability to prepare graduates for the local economy.

At the hearing in Wilkes-Barre, PA, several witnesses cited the need for increased funding for education and job training programs, community colleges and Pell grants that help students get the preparation they need for jobs at a time when demand for these programs is increasing.

One of the witnesses at the hearing in Utica, NY asked in his written testimony, “… with understandably limited resources, how does a medium-sized community such as ours embark on the capacity building it needs to do in order to develop a workforce development education and training infrastructure that keeps pace with the needs of the future? As our economy is requiring higher and higher skills, the capacity of our systems to deliver those skills must continue to grow.”  This is a question that communities of every size across the country are asking at this critical time. Let’s hope Congress is listening.

By admin in Public Policy
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New Brief Details Benefits of Investing in Community Colleges

Monday, March 14th, 2011

Policymakers frequently highlight the critical role of community colleges in increasing America’s college completion rates and producing highly-skilled workers. The institutions enroll about half of all undergraduate students, many in career and technical education fields, and provide accessible, low-cost educational options to often underserved populations. Yet, a policy brief released last week by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) reminds us that the institutions receive a notably disproportionate amount of funding compared to four-year colleges and universities.

With a comparatively low cost and open enrollment policies, community colleges particularly benefit students who may not otherwise pursue a postsecondary education. Cost continues to be a barrier for postsecondary students, but community colleges offer a reasonable solution. The AACC brief states that, in the 2009-2010 academic year, average community college tuition and fees totaled $2,713 compared to $7,605 at 4-year public institutions and $13,935 at 4-year for-profit institutions.

Aside from benefitting students, community colleges are also an asset to surrounding communities. According to the brief, community college graduates are more likely to stay in their communities than four-year college or university graduates, filling skilled positions and fueling the local economy. Additionally, a study mentioned in the brief finds a 16 percent return on investment to state and local governments that provide funds to community colleges.

Despite the clear benefits to local and state governments, community colleges receive only about one-quarter of total federal, state, and local revenues for higher education. The report also reveals that community colleges historically receive about 20 percent of state tax appropriations to higher education, and only 4 percent of all federal earmarks for higher education during FY 2010.

In the recent months, the federal government has identified community colleges as a necessary vehicle to increase America’s college completion rates. But according to AACC’s brief, greater investments in community colleges will be necessary to meet this ambitious goal.

By admin in News, Research
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House Introduces Three Week CR, Perkins Not Targeted

Saturday, March 12th, 2011

On Friday afternoon, the House Appropriations Committee introduced a new continuing resolution (CR) for FY11 that would fund the federal government for an additional three weeks beyond March 18, when the current CR is set to expire. This bill proposes to cut an additional $6 billion in the form of rescissions, reductions, program terminations, and eliminated earmarks.

Perkins Act funding is not one the cuts in the bill. However, the Career Pathways Innovation Fund is slated for elimination with the rationale that both the President and the Senate also targeted the program for cuts, and that the program received $500 million in mandatory funding in last year’s health care bill.

The House is expected to vote on this bill on Tuesday. It will then go the Senate for their consideration. While Perkins was not in this bill, further cuts will be made before the FY11 bill is complete. Please continue to call both your Representatives and Senators to make the case that Perkins funding should be maintained because of the benefits to students in their districts and states.

By admin in Legislation
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Career Pathways Innovation Fund Grants Available

Wednesday, March 9th, 2011

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently announced the availability of up to $122 million in competitive Career Pathways Innovation Fund grants. The intent of these grants is to continue DOL’s support for community colleges, with a particular focus on career pathway programs implemented by community colleges in partnership with other organizations in the community. This program replaces the Community-Based Job Training Grants.

At least $65 million of the funding will go to projects that focus on the health care sector. The following four types of entities are eligible to apply as lead grantees: Local Workforce Investment Boards, individual community and technical colleges, community college districts, and state community college systems. DOL intends to fund approximately 40 to 50 grants ranging from $1 million to $5 million. Approximately $6.25 million of the total funds available will be reserved to support grantee efforts to conduct a third-party evaluation of the grant activities.

Issue Date: February 28, 2011

Closing Date: March 31, 2011

More information available here.

By admin in News, Public Policy
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Programs of Study Could Address Rise in Postsecondary Remedial Needs

Friday, March 4th, 2011

The increased number of students entering postsecondary institutions might appear as a win to those who have been advocating for greater college-going rates. But a recent New York Times article that examines the rising enrollment at community colleges highlights the importance of a strong pipeline between secondary and postsecondary institutions. Without the connection, students are entering postsecondary institutions to spend significant time and money on remedial courses, and are less likely to graduate.

The increased enrollment matched with the swell of remedial needs are straining resources at community colleges and sparking national discussions about how to address the issue. Do community colleges restructure to provide more remedial support? Do high schools take on the entire responsibility of preparing students for college?

Perhaps the conversation to be had is about how programs of study (POS), which link secondary and postsecondary learning, are designed to target this issue. POS is a structured sequence of academic and CTE courses aligned from secondary to postsecondary that leads a student to college and career readiness, and specifically to earn a postsecondary-level credential. The National Career Clusters framework serves as the overarching tool that organizes POS according to the industry in which students are studying, which supports career readiness goals.

Alignment of secondary and postsecondary institutions is critical if the nation wants to do more than simply send students to college.

In New York, at the high-serving City University of New York (CUNY), work has begun. According to the New York Times, the New York City Department of Education is now tracking high school’s students’ performance in college, and starting in 2012, will measure student’s college readiness in its annual school progress reports. Further, the city education department and CUNY are working together to align their academic standards and curriculums.

By admin in News
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Secretary Duncan and Secretary Solis Launch First Community College Summit in Philadelphia

Monday, February 28th, 2011

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis gave remarks this morning at the first of four Community College Summits. The Community College of Philadelphia hosted 150 invited guests including regional community college presidents, students, and leaders from businesses, foundations, and the government. The focus of the first summit was “Transitioning Adult Learners to Community Colleges and the Workforce.”

Secretary Duncan once again lauded community colleges, calling them the “unrecognized gem” of institutions within the education continuum. He emphasized that both 2-year and 4-year institutions cannot just focus on access, but they must also be adamant about increasing completion rates to meet President Obama’s goal for 2020 – to have the highest proportion of college graduates worldwide.

Secretary Solis noted that the role of community colleges in training healthcare workers is critical, as healthcare will continue to be one of the fastest growing sectors in need of skilled workers. Solis also pushed for stronger partnerships between community colleges and businesses to meet regional challenges.

The panelists, most from foundations or businesses, also discussed partnerships between community colleges and businesses or foundations. They focused on using leverage to stretch funding and on the necessity of quality data to back community colleges’ progress. Particular attention was paid to the use of competency-based education and contextual learning opportunities to accelerate adult learner degree attainment.

Though she did not attend the summit, Dr. Jill Biden wrote an op-ed on the topic in this morning’s Philadelphia Inquirer.

The next Community College Summit will take place on March 9th at the Lone Star Community College District in Houston, Texas.

By admin in News
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Community College Placement Tests: ‘Mismatch Between Interventions and Assessments’

Friday, February 25th, 2011

While over half of community college students enroll in at least one remedial course, a recent study finds little correlation between postsecondary remediation and increased student outcomes. In the working paper, Assessing Developmental Assessment in Community Colleges, researchers from Teachers College at Columbia University examine the role of assessment and placement within community colleges. They recommend that states and community colleges reform the remediation process by taking a closer look at the placement tests that land students in remedial coursework in the first place.

The authors found a trend towards state standardization of assessments and mandatory enrollment in remedial courses if placed, but remarked that “While standardization of an effective strategy may improve student outcomes, standardization of an ineffective strategy may worsen them.”

According to the paper, 92 percent of 2-year colleges administer assessments to determine whether remedial coursework is needed, most using the ACCUPLACER and/or COMPASS exams. While studies find both tests fairly valid measures of predicting students’ math, reading, and writing grades, they also find that the resulting placement recommendations do not seem to improve student outcomes. As noted by the authors, “This suggests a mismatch between interventions and assessments.”

The researchers suggest using a more comprehensive assessment (or multiple assessments) including academic, diagnostic, and affective measures, to better place students and to improve student outcomes.

By admin in Research
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Legislative Update: Appropriations, Community College Grants, ESEA

Friday, February 11th, 2011

Budget Cuts Could Get Deeper

House Republican freshmen this week rejected Budget Committee Chair Paul Ryan’s (WI) proposal to cut $74 billion from President Obama’s FY1 budget, saying that it did not go far enough. The conservative wing of the party wants to keep their campaign pledge to cut $100 billion from the budget. House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers (KY) and the rest of the Republican leadership have agreed to do so, and a new proposal is expected today.

Speaker John Boehner (OH) on Thursday said, “We are working with our members and our committee chairmen to make sure that this cut is as big as possible to send a signal that we’re serious about cutting spending here in Washington.”

What we are hearing on the Hill is that the larger the cuts get in the House bill, the less likely the bill is to pass the Democratically-controlled Senate. There is speculation that if the Senate rejects the bill, another short –term continuing resolution will be passed while both chambers work on passing a bill with less significant cuts. But that doesn’t mean Perkins is safe. Be sure to call your Member of Congress today to make sure they know how vital CTE is for turning around our economy!

TAA Bill Pulled From the House Floor

The Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) bill that would have cut funding for the Community College Career Training Grant (CCCTG) program was pulled from the House floor on Tuesday because Republicans did not have the votes the pass it. This is because the conservative members of the Republican Study Committee opposed extending the trade adjustment program and because there was general concern about using the CCCTG program as an offset. The CCCTG program is funded through FY 2014, but many of the TAA worker benefit provisions expire tomorrow.

Senate Republicans Outline Areas of Focus for ESEA Reauthorization

On a recent call with media, Senate HELP Committee Ranking Member Sen. Mike Enzi (WY) and Sen. Lamar Alexander (TN), the Ranking Member of the subcommittee overseeing K-12 policy identified nine areas that they believe ESEA reauthorization should focus on in order to fix the problems of NCLB. These areas are:

1.      Refining or eliminating the 2014 100 percent proficiency goal,

2.      Revamping the “prescriptive” AYP formula,

3.      Reviewing the use of assessments,

4.      Examining how sanctions impact rural schools,

5.      Revisiting HQT requirements,

6.      Expanding flexibility at the state and local level,

7.      Identifying education programs that are duplicative or overlapping,

8.      Making funding more flexible, and

9.      Involving parents in their child’s education more.

By admin in Legislation
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Upcoming Regional Summits Focus on Increasing Community College Grad Rate

Tuesday, February 8th, 2011

Beginning this month, selected participants from community colleges, philanthropic organizations, state and local government, and businesses will come together to address one goal: identifying best institutional practices to increase America’s college graduation rate.

The Department of Education’s Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE) is sponsoring four one-day regional community college summits in an effort to continue strategic conversations started at the first White House Summit on Community Colleges in October. Attendees will discuss the role of community colleges in meeting President Obama’s goal for America – to have the highest proportion of college graduates worldwide by 2020.

Each regional summit will focus on one of the following areas: Serving military personnel, their families and veterans; Supporting the transition of low-skilled adults into community college; Rethinking developmental education, or Creating sustainable business partnerships. Additionally, attendees will take part in panel discussions and breakout sessions on relevant topics (e.g., “Secondary to Postsecondary and Two-to-Four-Year Transfer” or “Industry Partnerships”), and hear remarks from the State’s Governor, the City’s Mayor, and the President of the hosting community college. The regional summits will take place as follows:

February 28: Community College of Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA)

March 9: Lone Star Community College District (Houston, TX)

March 23: Ivy Tech Community College (Indianapolis, IN)

April 15: San Diego Community College District (San Diego, CA)

Week of April 25: Community College Virtual Symposium

For more information, or if you would like to be considered for attendance at one of the regional summits, please see OVAE’s Community College Regional Summits document.

By admin in Meetings and Events, News
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House Bill Would Cut Community College Grants

Tuesday, February 8th, 2011

The House is scheduled to consider a bill today that would reauthorize the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program under “suspension of the rules,” which requires a 2/3 vote for passage. Without reauthorization, most TAA programs will expire February 12, 2011. The House bill would extend authorization for the TAA for Communities program and Sector Partnership Grants until June 30, 2011.

The primary purpose of the TAA program is to provide assistance to workers who lost their jobs as a result of foreign trade, but it also includes the Community College Career Training Grant Program (CCCTGP). The bill includes a $238 million cut to CCCTGP in FY 2014 as a budgetary offset. Therefore, if the bill becomes law, community colleges would receive only $262 million in FY 2014, rather than the $500 million currently allocated.

Even if the bill passes the House, it will still have to clear the Senate and be signed by the President, who pushed very hard for these community college grants to be funded. Be sure to call your Member of Congress today to make sure they know how vital community college programs are for retraining workers and getting our economy back on track!

By admin in Legislation
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