The role of state policy in removing barriers for underserved students to access dual enrollment opportunities
"With the heightened need to create a more educated workforce, states are using various approaches to improve postsecondary attainment rates, including policies that foster students’ transition from high school to college. Dual enrollment is perhaps the most common or well known of these transition focused policies. Dual enrollment and/or concurrent enrollment programs afford high school students the opportunity to take college-level courses and earn college and high school credit simultaneously. Such programs expose students to the academic rigor of postsecondary education and, when classes are held on a college campus, to its social demands. Credits earned are then transferable to higher education institutions and apply toward the completion of a degree and/or attainment of
"Since their inception in 1901, public two-year colleges have embraced a resolve to provide access to higher education for college-bound students, and to those who otherwise would have been denied the opportunity. In Texas, we continue to fulfill this historic mission through open admissions and affordable access to general education and workforce programs. Community colleges enroll 736,000 students in service areas spanning 249 of the state’s 254 counties.
Policymakers exploring performance-based funding could learn from the recent experiences of Texas community colleges. Student Success Points was established in 2013 as the performance-based funding system for the state’s 50 public community colleges. This contemporary funding structure is based on the premise that community colleges can simultaneously meet their historic mission to broaden access and realize measurable student
Amarillo College’s No Excuses Poverty Initiative has attracted national attention for the breadth of support it offers students.
"At Amarillo College, 55 percent of students are food-insecure, meaning they’re hungry, or at risk of hunger, compared with 43 percent of community-college students nationally, according to two studies released last year, including a detailed case study of Amarillo's No Excuses program. Both were led by Sara Goldrick-Rab, a professor of higher-education policy and sociology at Temple University and founder of the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice.
Meanwhile, 59 percent of Amarillo College’s students were housing-insecure, meaning that they’re in danger of not being able to pay their rent, mortgage, or utilities, or have to move frequently, often into crowded living quarters, to make ends meet. That’s considerably higher than the 46-percent
The Aspen Institute's College Excellence Program announced Palo Alto College as a "Rising Star" award winner of the 2019 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation's signature recognition of high achievement and performance among America's community colleges.
"Representing the Alamo Colleges District and community colleges across the nation at this level is an honor for each one of us at Palo Alto College, and this achievement would not have been possible without our faculty and staff's commitment to the journey and the support of our entire community, including the leadership of the Alamo Colleges District," said Dr. Robert Garza, president of Palo Alto College. "Whether students are the first in their family to attend college or looking to continue their education, Palo Alto College has always believed that education should be accessible to everyone. And by keeping our
The Aspen Institute for Community College Excellence named San Jacinto College as one of the top 10 community colleges in the nation. The announcement was made Tuesday at a luncheon in Washington, D.C.
“I am honored and humbled to accept this award on behalf of the entire San Jacinto College community,” said Chancellor Dr. Brenda Hellyer. “This award reflects the achievements and commitment of our faculty, staff, and administration who are focused on helping our diverse student population pursue and accomplish their goals. As a College, we hold ourselves to the ultimate measure of student success, and being recognized as one of the top 10 community colleges in the nation is proof that our mission to provide innovative, accessible education is being accomplished.”
