Alternative Automobiles: New Training Programs at Community College

In these times of tighter family budgets and increased competition for admission to four-year universities, community college students may worry about their prospects for transferring to a university after earning an associate’s degree.

However, many students can put their minds at ease, especially if you live in an area where your local community colleges have entered into guaranteed admission agreements with four-year state universities. What follows is an overview of some states that are leading the way in guaranteed admission and articulation agreements:

Abigal Endsley writes on Pearson.com, one of the leading providers of educational materials: "So before contacting your local community college, first decide what degree you want and where you want to graduate from. This—admittedly—is a monster of a task in and of itself. (If you want some help with it, I recommend our free ebook What Should I Major In?)

Then you’ll need to know what’s required to earn that specific degree from that specific school. What kinds of courses do you need? What subject? What specificity? What level? Check the college’s website for this information. If you’ve never done this research before, it may feel like drinking from a fire hose. Our crash course on college course codes may help.

Once you understand what degree you want, where you want to earn it from, and your degree’s specific college credit requirements, only then can you can begin researching which of those credits you can transfer from a community college."

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The Honolulu Star-Bulletin

Increasing numbers of students are enrolling in two-year community college programs, yet only one-third will graduate with their degrees. Naturally, there are multifaceted reasons for the high dropout rate, but some reports cite the students’ struggle with math courses as playing a major role, as outlined by WNYC.

Most community colleges require that students take three placement tests before registering for classes. The placement tests include a basic math section, a reading comprehension section, and a writing composition section.

Approximately half of prospective community college students struggle with the math placement test and, thus, require at least one remedial math class. Even at community colleges, most degrees require successfully completing several college-level math classes, and many students struggle to make the grade. Lowering the community college dropout rate partly hinges on preparing students for math success.

This video offers a look at Portland Community College's math literacy program.

Math Placement Tests: How to Improve Your Score

Scoring well on the math placement test can save time, effort, and money in the long term. In most cases, remedial math classes don’t count towards degree requirements; thus, making the score on placement tests can save you tuition fees. The best way to prepare for the math placement test is to get the gray matter working again – especially if a lot of time has elapsed since

The reports and statistics pertaining to current high school dropout rates make for shocking reading. Over 7,200 children drop out of high school on a daily basis, creating over 1.3 million new dropouts annually, according to a Census data review by the Daily Beast. Of course, vocational training and blue-collar jobs are hypothetical alternatives for these teenagers, but with the economy in shambles, entry-level jobs are few and far between. K16 Bridge Plan

The impacts of this educational crisis are best exemplified in cities like Detroit, where only 25% of students graduate with a high school diploma. The Detroit area suffers from high unemployment rates, low income, soaring crime rates, negligible social services, and a generally poorer quality of life – which give high school dropouts few opportunities.

However, community colleges may soon be the savior of high school graduation rates. Innovative new community college programs have been implemented in places like North Carolina, Texas, and California to keep students in high school until they graduate, as well as to help find the places in higher education thereafter.

This video from the National Center for Education Statistics reports on declining high school dropout rates.

The Money Incentive: Community Colleges and Scholarship Programs

Cost is one of the major hurdles associated with higher education in disadvantaged areas. Many students assume that even if they do complete high school,

Despite all of our society’s socioeconomic progress, there still exists a major performance gap between students of different ethnic and income backgrounds. A recently published report paints a disturbing picture of how minority and low-income students are performing in community colleges.

The report, titled “Charting a Necessary Path” and prepared by the Washington, D.C. based nonprofit group the Education Trust, indicates that students from historically underrepresented backgrounds – defined as students of African-American, Latino, and Native American descent – as well as students from low-income families, complete associate’s degree programs and transfer to four-year degree programs at significantly lower rates than their peers.

This video looks at why minority men have difficulty completing their educations.

Few Minority Students Who Enter Community College Attain Bachelor’s Degrees

The press release accompanying the study reports that although 80 percent of freshmen entering community college intend to eventually earn a bachelor’s degree, only 7 percent of low-income and minority community college students attain a bachelor’s degree within ten years. As the press release explains, low-income and minority students are “overrepresented in terms of enrollment” in community colleges but “underrepresented among completers” of community colleges.

Low Rate of Transfer to Four-Year Institutions

The rate at which historically underrepresented minorities transfer from community colleges to four-year institutions is also worrisome, according to the report. Only 12 percent of students from underrepresented minority groups transfer to bachelor’s degree programs