Recent data suggest that students are returning to community colleges, though total numbers are well below pre-pandemic levels. Davis Jenkins explores the causes of enrollment declines in recent decades and examines ways colleges can build on successful reforms to improve student outcomes.
As the pandemic wanes and community colleges begin to find their new normal, the latest numbers from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center indicate that enrollment is stabilizing. This is welcome news, but are some parts of the country, student groups, and types of community college programs doing better than others?
For the first time following the pandemic, we can examine detailed state- and college-level enrollment trends by age group using the latest federal data. Senior Research Associate and Program Lead John Fink examines these numbers and offers three major takeaways on how community college enrollment changed during the pandemic.
The Institute of Education Sciences has selected CCRC to lead the Accelerating Recovery in Community Colleges Network (ARCC Network), which will include research teams from across the country that will study recovery strategies such as enhanced financial aid, innovative workforce programs, improved online and hybrid education, and new course formats.
Looking back at transferring during the pandemic, CCRC intern Nabiha Sheikh discusses her college journey, and CCRC Senior Research Associate John Fink explains how the transfer process can be improved.
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Explore trends in community college outcomes with our interactive data visualizations.
