I agreeto Idea Imagine how much we could do with more instead of less
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Imagine how much we could do with more instead of less

Improve the funding model for community colleges. Communuity colleges not only provide courses equivalent to 100 and 200 level classes at four year schools but also remedial education to students who slipped through the cracks in high school. Thus, CCs do half the work of a university and half the work of a high school. On top of that, CCs provide job training, community education, ESL, GED and ABE courses. We serve the full range of the public, but we are constantly underfunded. If our country wants us to serve the full range of the public, we need funds to adequately staff learning resources (libraries, tutoring centers), provide career and job counseling (so we need counselors and advisors), retain faculty (including librarians and ESL/GED instructors), and offer learning materials (databases, ebooks, smart classrooms, learning commons).

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Submitted by Community Member 2 years ago

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Comments (6)

  1. Community Member

    Noncredit workforce training is designed for unemployed and underemployed workers to receive short-term training for in-demand jobs. The tuition for these classes is high, primarily due to the cost the training materials and equipment. Students in these classes often continue their education to be eligible for higher paying employment.

    Short-term, noncredit workforce training is not eligible for Pell grants or financial aid. Financial assistance needs to be made available to students to train them for job opportunities in today's market.

    Workers already in the workforce need to upgrade their skills continually. Funding to offset the cost of incumbent worker training needs to be made available to employers.

    Community colleges are capable of delivering workforce training. However, tuition assistance needs to be made available for students and employers to take advantage of the training opportunities that are available.

    2 years ago
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  2. lpatrickdail

    I disagree that it's a question of more resources, I think it's a matter of strategically utilizing the resources the institution has. For example, why do community college's offer GED or ESL programs? Shouldn't basic education be the responsibility of the local school board? If we take the resources provided ESL and GED programs out of the equation, the college would have more rooms for degree classes or classes which prepare are residents for career positions.

    2 years ago
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  3. piotrows

    Perhaps basic education "should" be the responsibility of the local school board, but experience has shown that they often "wash their hands" of that duty after graduating students who have failed to acquire them in high school (or who have dropped out, and want to better their life once they've reached adulthool). Community Colleges are called on to fill that gap so that these folks can get the skills that they need to be more productive citizens.

    2 years ago
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  4. Community Member

    "in a perfect world"...public schools would all have MLS librarians and the personnel and funding to teach GED classes, etc. But especially those in rural areas simply don't. So yes, it does fall to community college librarians to pull these students up. Many won't go on to a four-year college but all need to be information literate, and that's what we do!

    2 years ago
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  5. Community Member Idea Submitter

    As a community college librarian in a rural area, I am well aware that students who arrive aren't information literate and that they need to be information literate before they transfer. However, we don't have a sufficient number of librarians to teach each and every student. Since we don't live in a "perfect world" where students get basic education in high school, we need to supply community colleges with enough resources to fill that gap. If not, how can we be expected to succeed?

    2 years ago
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  6. Community Member

    I applaud the focus on community colleges today - especially its career pathways linking colleges to local businesses and job training. My question: why wait until community college or technical school to set these up? Arlington County career center is a local example of the applied academic and career training model and was designated one of six career academies in the state of Virginia. Does today's announcement include greater funding for such programs- particularly for incorporating this approach in the curriculum from K-12. Community colleges accept students with GEDs. When required to be coupled with career training in high school, children can come out of secondary school - even with a GED - and move onto either a community college or technical school. This approach is required by State law in Virginia - the Individual Student Alternative Education Program - yet virtually no one knows about it. Thankfully, we learned about it (by default) but only because his parents doggedly advocated for him. The Arlington Public School system now includes ISAEP on its website as an high school diploma option and as part of the secondary school career counseling. There are many paths to a career. Let's not shortchange this one.

    2 years ago
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