Get Students Involved
I showed the summit remarks in my physics class quipping, "You didn't realize this was a government class, did you?" I felt the students got something out of this. The more to engage students, the better.
Browse Ideas with tag 'students':
-
I agree
Voting is Disabled2 votes
I disagreeThis idea is active.Live Summit Discussion »Add your comment for Idea: Get Students Involved -
I agree
Voting is Disabled
3 votes
I disagreeThis idea is active.Increasing Graduation Rates »Support Nontraditional Students
AAUW is concerned with the accessibility of community college for nontraditional students. Community colleges have higher percentages of nontraditional (e.g. older, parenting, working, or attending school part-time ), low-income, and minority students than 4-year colleges and universities. The majority of African-American and Hispanic undergraduates began their postsecondary education at community colleges. The 2008 ...more »
Add your comment for Idea: Support Nontraditional StudentsAAUW is concerned with the accessibility of community college for nontraditional students. Community colleges have higher percentages of nontraditional (e.g. older, parenting, working, or attending school part-time ), low-income, and minority students than 4-year colleges and universities. The majority of African-American and Hispanic undergraduates began their postsecondary education at community colleges. The 2008 Higher Education Act reauthorization provided for innovative programs that would help nontraditional students achieve success in college. These programs ― Student Success Grants and the Pilot Project to Increase Persistence and Success in Community Colleges ― should be fully funded. It is vital that community colleges actively serve these historically under-served populations.
« less full details »
-
I agree
Voting is Disabled
10 votes
I disagreeThis idea is active.Pathway to a Baccalaureate »Fund Childcare for Students!
Community college populations are a different population than you're used to dealing with. We're parents, we work--often two or three jobs--, we care for families, elderly parents and grandparents, and we're often hard up for cash. Childcare is a big part of our ability to attend classes and it has been drastically slashed, and in some areas completely eliminated for students. Affordable childcare is very, very difficult ...more »
1 comment for Idea: Fund Childcare for Students!Community college populations are a different population than you're used to dealing with. We're parents, we work--often two or three jobs--, we care for families, elderly parents and grandparents, and we're often hard up for cash.
Childcare is a big part of our ability to attend classes and it has been drastically slashed, and in some areas completely eliminated for students. Affordable childcare is very, very difficult to find, and how else do you suspect a young mother or father to get the higher education that you constant preach that she or he needs?
We want to do the best for our children while at the same time bettering ourselves in order to provide a better future for our families.
Subsidized childcare is an essential part of this mission. Please remember that community college students are whole people--with a lot going on--and the population you wish to reach through a broader application of education measures is going to need this vital service.
« less full details »
-
I agree
Voting is Disabled
2 votes
I disagreeThis idea is active.Innovation: Community Colleges of the Future »Stop Wasteful Spending & Improve Student Services
Stop the wasteful spending. There are ways that community colleges can tighten their belts and devote more spending on the students. Many community colleges have multiple campuses and a central office. The central offices contribute very little to students welfare and actually are a drain on most budgets. Central Offices house the many vice-presidents and high paid administrator that contribute little to the academics ...more »
Add your comment for Idea: Stop Wasteful Spending & Improve Student ServicesStop the wasteful spending. There are ways that community colleges can tighten their belts and devote more spending on the students. Many community colleges have multiple campuses and a central office. The central offices contribute very little to students welfare and actually are a drain on most budgets. Central Offices house the many vice-presidents and high paid administrator that contribute little to the academics of an institution. Many of the services they perform could be easily tranferrred to the campuses and open up some of the needed funds that could be used to assist students.
« less full details »
-
I agree
Voting is Disabled
27 votes
I disagreeThis idea is active.Innovation: Community Colleges of the Future »Seed and scale-up innovative models that help lower-skilled working adults and youth earn community college credentials
Today’s community college students are more diverse than ever and face many more challenges than traditional students in the past. To succeed, they need new and more innovative teaching and delivery strategies. Pockets of proven innovative strategies and practices exist in community colleges across the country, but few of these are ever scaled up to become the new way of doing business. One promising innovation that ...more »
1 comment for Idea: Seed and scale-up innovative models that help lower-skilled working adults and youth earn community college credentialsToday’s community college students are more diverse than ever and face many more challenges than traditional students in the past. To succeed, they need new and more innovative teaching and delivery strategies. Pockets of proven innovative strategies and practices exist in community colleges across the country, but few of these are ever scaled up to become the new way of doing business.
One promising innovation that deserves more support is short, intensive remedial bridge programs for those at the lowest literacy levels that integrate basic academic and/or English language education with postsecondary occupational training to help students earn credentials more quickly. Bridge programs are basically dual enrollment – but for lower-skilled adults.
Other promising innovations include more flexible scheduling and delivery modes and program modularization which groups courses within a longer program into manageable ‘chunks’ for students to get through more easily. At least six states have adopted or implemented bridge initiatives: Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio, Oregon, and Wisconsin, and Washington. On the federal level, the new Community College and Career Training grant program can also be shaped to support bridge programming.
For more information on this idea and others, visit www.clasp.org/postsecondary.
« less full details »
-
I agree
Voting is Disabled
30 votes
I disagreeThis idea is active.Affordability/Financial Aid »Financial aid for low-income working adults
State and federal financial aid for low-income adults and disadvantaged youth is paltry compared to their need. Even with recent increases in the Pell grant, its inflation-adjusted value has eroded significantly over time and now covers only a small portion of college costs. Even with student loans, financial aid packages often leave low-income students without enough funds to pay for all the costs of college which include ...more »
1 comment for Idea: Financial aid for low-income working adultsState and federal financial aid for low-income adults and disadvantaged youth is paltry compared to their need. Even with recent increases in the Pell grant, its inflation-adjusted value has eroded significantly over time and now covers only a small portion of college costs. Even with student loans, financial aid packages often leave low-income students without enough funds to pay for all the costs of college which include not just tuition and fees but also housing, child care, transportation, and other living expenses. But most importantly, federal and state student aid programs are typically designed for traditional students and often provide little assistance to adult, part-time, and working students.
We need more and better student financial aid that helps low-income students, who often attend college while they are working, access education and persist long enough to attain a postsecondary credential. This includes developing new types of student financial aid in higher education and Work Study opportunities designed specifically to support low-income adults and disadvantaged youth.
Many states have designed new aid programs or adapted existing aid programs to better serve adult students, including Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Washington, and West Virginia. With current federal and state budget pressures, it is essential to adopt policies that encourage leveraging and coordinating student financing from many sources – such as federal and state student financial aid, the Workforce Investment Act, Trade Adjustment Assistance, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, and employers. Examples of states effectively doing this include, but are not limited to, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Oregon.
For more information on this idea and others, visit www.clasp.org/postsecondary.
« less full details »
-
I agree
Voting is Disabled
41 votes
I disagreeThis idea is active.Increasing Graduation Rates »Increased student support services
Low-income adult students and youth struggle to access and persist in community college programs because they lack adequate life, work, and academic supports. There is no systemic public funding for these services at either the federal or state level. Institutions often cobble together these services–typically in partnership with community-based organizations–however the need vastly outstrips available resources. We ...more »
2 comments for Idea: Increased student support servicesLow-income adult students and youth struggle to access and persist in community college programs because they lack adequate life, work, and academic supports. There is no systemic public funding for these services at either the federal or state level. Institutions often cobble together these services–typically in partnership with community-based organizations–however the need vastly outstrips available resources.
We need more resources and more creative partnerships to provide significantly more student support services that enable vulnerable students to persevere in education and training programs. Specifically, students need more and better academic student support services, including tutoring, study skills seminars, and learning communities; personal student support services such as child care, transportation, access to personal counseling, and emergency funds to assist students with minor crises before they become major derailments to their education and training; and college and career exploration and advising opportunities, including college orientation and success courses, that help students navigate college and explore career options.
On the federal level, Student Success Grants that help at-risk students stay in college and complete courses, were included in the last reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, and should be fully funded. Promising examples from the states include the Washington Opportunity Grant program, and the California Educational Opportunity Program and Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education. Community colleges providing these services include Northern Virginia Community College, Portland Community College (OR), Southeast Arkansas College, Community College of Denver (CO), LaGuardia Community College (NY), and Central New Mexico Community College, among others.
For more information on this idea and others, visit www.clasp.org/postsecondary.
« less full details »
-
I agree
Voting is Disabled
-12 votes
I disagreeThis idea is active.Industry Partnerships »Let High School students finish HIGH SCHOOL first.
I really think that the schools need to drop the high school dual enrollment program. All of the students that I have met that have been in the program were extremely bright when it comes to academics, but have absolutely no common sense or social skills. I really think that the schools are doing the kids a disservice by taking them away from their peers and putting them in a social situation with people they cannot relate ...more »
2 comments for Idea: Let High School students finish HIGH SCHOOL first.I really think that the schools need to drop the high school dual enrollment program. All of the students that I have met that have been in the program were extremely bright when it comes to academics, but have absolutely no common sense or social skills. I really think that the schools are doing the kids a disservice by taking them away from their peers and putting them in a social situation with people they cannot relate to. Teenagers need to learn how to deal with people their own age before they are put in a position where they have to communicate and interact with people who are older and more experienced than they are.
« less full details »
-
I agree
Voting is Disabled
14 votes
I disagreeThis idea is active.Increasing Graduation Rates »Make colleges accountable for Advisors...
One of the issues that I faced during my time at Ivy Tech here in Indiana is the fact that we often do not have to meet with our Advisers to plan out our college experience. I have heard the term, "SELF-ADVISING" thrown around a lot at my school and this word shouldn't be in existence when it comes to education. There needs to be a system in place that makes a student have to meet every semester with their adviser and ...more »
4 comments for Idea: Make colleges accountable for Advisors...One of the issues that I faced during my time at Ivy Tech here in Indiana is the fact that we often do not have to meet with our Advisers to plan out our college experience. I have heard the term, "SELF-ADVISING" thrown around a lot at my school and this word shouldn't be in existence when it comes to education. There needs to be a system in place that makes a student have to meet every semester with their adviser and if they do not meet this requirement they can not go into the next semester of courses. This might seem harsh, but the reality is this would keep students right on track where they are with their degree, financial aid, and a multitude of other issues that pop up for students during their time to obtain a degree. This simple requirement would probably greatly increase the success rate of many students on obtaining their degrees at their respective colleges.
« less full details »
-
I agree
Voting is Disabled
2 votes
I disagreeThis idea is active.Innovation: Community Colleges of the Future »Innovation: How Do Community Colleges Fit Into Immigration Issues?
1 comment for Idea: Innovation: How Do Community Colleges Fit Into Immigration Issues?Community colleges serve many of the people immigrating to the United States. How are these students best served? Are ESL, ABE and GED programs funded at the levels necessary to get these students into the workforce quickly? What can be done to accelerate English language learning? Where does civics and the knowing the U.S. legal system fit in?