An ever-increasing number of individuals are
turning to community college for their higher education. However, the
majority of students entering community college fail to complete their
degrees, and as a result, earn lower wages throughout the course of
their lives. If community college retention rates were increased,
graduates could become part of a wholly different income bracket, and
taxpayers in the nation and the states would likewise experience
substantial monetary gains. Cost-cutting and time-saving strategies and
resources such as online delivery of classes, competency-based models of
higher learning, and for-profit colleges and universities should be
employed to increase the number of Americans completing their
associate’s degrees.
Key points in this Outlook:
- Community colleges are serving more and more students, but how well
they’re serving them (or taxpayers) is debatable: only 1 in 4 graduates,
compared to 3 in 5 at four-year schools.
- Cutting the dropout rate by half would generate substantial gains:
the 160,000 “new” graduates would earn $30 billion more in lifetime
income—and create an additional $5.3 billion in total taxpayer revenue.
- Community colleges can boost graduation rates and save money by
streamlining the degree path, using online courses, and borrowing
innovations from for-profit schools. Another potential game-changer is
the competency-based model, which has helped Florida’s Valencia College
achieve a 40 percent graduation rate.
More can be found here: http://www.aei.org/outlook/education/higher-education/community-colleges/completion-matters-the-high-cost-of-community-college-graduation-rates/