Page 5 - Educational Performance News Today

Community colleges are in trouble. Enrollment has fallen 37% since 2010, and their completion rates are dismal — nearly half of students drop out within a year. Scant advising, labyrinthian

When Santos Enrique Camara arrived at Shoreline Community College in Washington to study audio engineering, he quickly felt lost.

When Santos Enrique Camara arrived at Shoreline Community College in Washington state to study audio engineering, he quickly felt lost. “It’s like a weird maze,” remembered Camara, who was 19 at the time and had finished high school with a 4.

The spurning of community colleges has implications for the national economy, which relies on their graduates to fill many of the jobs in which there are shortages.

Community colleges are in trouble

Seven newsrooms joined together to explore the crisis facing community colleges, and ways to solve it, in a series called Saving the College Dream.

The number of students at community colleges has fallen 37% since 2010, or by nearly 2.6 million, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

Students are abandoning them in droves.

With scant advising, many community college students spend time and money on courses that won’t transfer or that they don’t need. Though most intend to move on to get bachelor’s degrees, only a small fraction succeed

When Santos Enrique Camara arrived at Shoreline Community College in Washington state to study audio engineering, he quickly felt lost. “It’s like a weird maze,” remembered Camara, who was 19 at the time and had finished high school with a 4.0 grade-point average. “You need help with your classes and financial aid? Well, here, take […]