The Postsecondary State Policy Network

Perhaps one of the greatest concerns that torments America’s new generation is pursuing higher education in order to make more money and while avoiding being in debt, decades after graduation. This topic has become even more as tuition continues to rise and politicians are left to ponder the best course of action to insure that the next generation of Americans is more educated than the last. One particular solution was posed by former president, Barack Obama, who promoted the idea of free community college. Although, it may not be the most direct or most elegant solution, it would certainly be a push in the right direction. By making community college tuition free nationwide, states would become more invested in accommodating the influx of students, lead different school systems to compete by lowering tuition prices, and finally address America’s shortcoming in adults who possess more than just high school diploma.

Higher education in America is facing many challenges, i.e., low retention, low graduation rates and less funding. Postsecondary institutions are scrambling to remain a competitive entity within society. In order to do so, students must remain in school (Talbert, 2012). The Office of the White House states (2014), educational attainment is critical to our county’s economic success. In essence, the work force is creating more jobs requiring more education and a higher level of skill than was previously achieved. Individuals with only a high school diploma will not make into the middle class sector because of

With the workforce becoming more competitive in today’s economy, the educational requirements have increased. By the year 2020, approximately 65% of all jobs in the United States will require a postsecondary education and/or further training proceeding high school education (“Recovery”). One thing that is not increasing is the rate of college enrollment of students from the Detroit Public Schools or college enrollment in general. There are many factors that contribute to this problem, just as there are also many solutions that may help assuage it. The main reason why students from Detroit Public Schools are not enrolling in postsecondary education institutions has to do with their financial situation.

This memo offers a solution to help increase the percentage of the college education of our younger generation.This proposal below is motivated by the experiences of college students who are overwhelmed by the student debt they have collected over the past few years and still have not yet graduated. This is due to either difficulty navigating college from lack of exposure and resources to even properly begin the process of attending college causing inadequate preparation, and/or for those who have had a problem with finding a balance between handling school work and families all at one time. This proposal should not only help students with student debt and aid students in completing higher education but it will also bring light how the nation has been and is still currently going through a college completion crisis.

Community college is a great institution for students to start their educational journey. Especially when they do not have the funds or lack some of the prerequisite that a university would require. Community college was created to serve the community, traditional and non-traditional students with the best higher education and lifetime learning opportunities. The faculty and staff members at a community college is there to provide leadership in education while going above and beyond to recognize the needs of the students and the community by providing excellent educational programs and support services that are available to all who have the opportunity to take advantage of them. “Student services now include recruitment and retention, counseling, student activities, student health, financial aid, academic support, career centers, transfer centers, and supplemental services such as transportation, child care, and services tailored for specific populations of students” (Cohen, Brawer, & Krisker, 2014, pg. 209). My philosophy in fulfilling the role and mission of the community college, is to establish the mission, vision, goals and values to guide all students on their journey to strive to become successful both in school and in today’s economy.

Community colleges in the United States develop rapidly and have become a vital component of the postsecondary education delivery system. As of 2011-2012 school year, 45% of all undergraduate students were enrolled in public two-year colleges, approximately 8.3 million students (Knapp et al., 2012. Cited by AACC Fast Facts). And it seems that with globalization and Obama’s education agenda, the trend of growing enrollment in community colleges won’t change. A high school graduate who decides to pursue postsecondary education may face with a dilemma--whether enroll in a community college or a traditional four-year college. Even within a community college, a student may be faced with a choice—enroll in a vocational program and enter workforce after graduation with a vocational certification, or choose an academic program with an intention of transferring to four-year institutions.

Being able to attend and graduate college is a dream and the next step in life for many students. However, going to college and finishing school are two completely different things. There has been a decrease in students who completed college. Researchers are wondering, what is causing students to not finish schooling? There are many reasons and questions to why it could be affecting the completion of college rates. One of the main issue is the skyrocketing cost of college tuitions. Majority of students are having stress and anxiety for not being able to afford college. This result in having to take out a student loan and having to pay thousands of dollars after they graduate. The last thing students want for their future is having to work

A proposed creation of the Public College Quality Compact, a fund to encourage states to reinvest in postsecondary education. In addition to other requirements, states that wish to participate in the fund would be required to create reliable funding streams to public colleges and universities that provide a least as much as the maximum Pell Grant per student in support. Ensuring that states make reliable investments in their citizens will mean that college education is affordable for low income students who pursue their

Presently, the availability of educational opportunities at the college and university level is a critical state and personal interest given the needs of the state for a well-educated workforce which has never been greater. Too many, the focal point of attending college is receiving a high paying job in the future. Unfortunately, in most states, tuition is on the rise and students who come from low-income families find themselves struggling to fund their education. According to legislatures, “The cost of college in New Jersey, as in the nation, continues to grow faster than the rate of inflation.” (State of New Jersey 1). In the national financial aid policy resources that are typically given to the neediest families are shifting towards

As it turns out, the expected outcome of this plan is that “the neediest students [will] enroll at the lowest-funded colleges with the lowest graduation rates . . . [and generally] 40 percent of community college students earn a degree within 6 years” (Jacobs). Thus demonstrating how the proposition could cause students to not only waste money they spent on books and supplies, but also the time they could’ve spent at a seemingly better institution, or in the workforce collecting the profits they so desperately

Sarah D. Sparks and Loyola University Maryland have different viewpoints when it comes being ready for college and careers. High Schools in Chicago are trying to help its students through a system of student support and feedback that continues through the first year of

To increase the likelihood that students will have the necessary social capital to enroll in college, programs typically take a multi-pronged approach to provide students with the missing supports that will help them develop a college-going mindset. Consistent with those goals, college readiness programs generally offer a series of comprehensive services, such as tutoring, financial literacy classes, coaching, college awareness and exposure, and cultural enrichment. Le et al. (2016), noted that factors associated with limited college participation include: inadequate academic preparation for college, lack of knowledge about financial aid, limited access to information about the college application and limited social support.

Young Adults and Higher Education by Thomas Brock focuses on issues in our postsecondary education system. Brock believes that modifications need to be made to colleges and argues that there are three areas in need of a transformation for students to succeed in college. According to Brock the three areas in need of the most attention is remedial education, student support services, and financial aid. If changes are made in each of these areas, improvements will be shown in students. He believes that changes will result in an improvement in student’s attendance, persistence, and completion.

President Obama has proposed the America’s College Promise what would make at least two years of community college as universally available as public high school (Fillion, 2016). Under the proposal, students would need to maintain a GPA of at least 2.5 and families would need to have an adjusted gross income under $200,000. Opponents cite community colleges’ historically low graduation rates as cause to reject the plan. Educational experts are favorable of a new program in New York called the Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP), which combines free tuition, free public transportation, and intensive guidance. This experimental program has had the greatest success yet in improving the graduation rate of at-risk college enrollees (Fillion, 2016). Knowing it costs taxpayers in the form of aid and lost tax income benefits society at large benefits from making higher education available to all. There is bipartisan support for the America’s College Promise. Coupling this proposal with the tried and proven intensive counseling of the Accelerated Study in Associate Programs will give future generations the best possibility for

This program is easy to incorporate into the classroom for all students and does not take away from the valuable instruction time for each subject area. The program is also versatile enough to use in a big group or small group settings, and can also be used for people of ages, including parents. This program will be led by teachers and coaches on campus, with help from the GCU program coaches that will help get the program started on campus. By involving the teachers, students, parents, and community leaders in this program, not only will academic success happen on the campus, but we will strengthen a community by developing men and women with good moral character that will become leaders in the community.