Wake-up call for colleges
Ventura Star 2/8/07
A recently released Cal State Sacramento study shows that three out of four first-time students at California community colleges failed to transfer to a four-year university and/or earn an associate's degree or certificate.
We urge community college leaders and state legislators to review the report and embrace change where it is needed. It would be a mistake for them to go on the defensive.
The worthy aim of researching the issue is to direct more students to attain academic degrees.
The six-year study tracked 520,407 students who initially enrolled at California's community colleges during the 1999-2000 academic year. Sixty percent were seeking degrees; 40 percent were not.
Researchers at Cal State Sacramento's Institute for Higher Education Leadership & Policy said the problem lies with community colleges doing a great job of marketing themselves to high school students, then being hamstrung by state policies that don't allow them to help the students succeed.
In a written statement, Chancellor of the California Community Colleges Mark Drummond said the report "misses the mark'' by ignoring other ongoing attempts to improve student success.
But, researchers were careful not to take aim at the community colleges; rather, at state policies that tie most funding to enrollment figures. That leads colleges to, among other things, allow late registrations and to postpone exams until enrollment figures are reported.
Researchers were also critical of policies that dictate spending. Under state rules, a community college must spend at least 50 percent of its budget on direct classroom instruction, teacher salaries, etc. Other vital services such as financial and academic advisers, technology consultants, healthcare staff and orientation leaders are not funded as well.
The report mirrors one released in November by the Public Policy Institute of California that criticized the state's community colleges for having high student turnover and low graduation and transfer rates.
Basing some state funding on the number of students who successfully complete courses or transfer to a four-year university, or graduate with an associate's degree, would be one way to bolster student achievement. Also, colleges would benefit from increased flexibility on how money can be spent.
Community colleges are vital in providing a quality, low-cost education that can serve as a route to four-year colleges. They are also extremely valuable to those who want to enhance their job skills or to study subjects for personal enrichment.
If community colleges are not living up to their potential, we need to find out