Study outlines the growth of community colleges
DANIEL BLOOM
Issue date: 9/24/08 Section: News
The National Center of Education Statistics recently released the "Community Colleges: Special Supplement to the 2008 Condition of Education" outlining the growth of community colleges over the past forty-five years and the current state of student success, comparing this data with 4 year public and private colleges and universities. Two of the most striking statistics gleaned from the supplement were the massive 741 percent (now 6.2 million students) increase in community college enrollment since 1963 and the shockingly dismal 45 percent drop-out rate.
According to Dr. Jennifer Tracey, an economics professor at Madison Area Technical College, the 741 percent increase in community college enrollment is deeply intertwined with America's economic infrastructure. The past 45 years have seen drastic economic change. Everything from a large decrease in manufacturing jobs to ever changing technology has led to a widening income distribution between those with higher education and those without. "Increase in returns to education is thought to be the biggest reason," she said.
There are a number of other factors involved in the widening income distribution, and between economists, there is anything but a consensus on how culpability should be divided. However, one thing is certain, postsecondary education has been, and will most likely continue to be highly sought after. So why are 45 percent of community college students dropping out?
According to Dr. Clifton F. Conrad, an Education Leadership and Policy Analysis professor at UW-Madison, there are several reasons why three million people would drop out of community college without acquiring a degree. More students in community colleges are often considered independent (61%) (that is, older than 24 and/or married and/or with children) than those in four year institutions (35%) which necessitates further division of their pecuniary and temporal resources. There is also a larger percentage of part-time faculty at community colleges (67%) than at public four years (28%), often resulting in dispersion of the community college faculty's expertise throughout various colleges. Level of commitment to a degree is a large factor for any institution; and students are often not as prepared for postsecondary education and overall experience in community colleges as those in four year institutions.
According to Dr. Jennifer Tracey, an economics professor at Madison Area Technical College, the 741 percent increase in community college enrollment is deeply intertwined with America's economic infrastructure. The past 45 years have seen drastic economic change. Everything from a large decrease in manufacturing jobs to ever changing technology has led to a widening income distribution between those with higher education and those without. "Increase in returns to education is thought to be the biggest reason," she said.
There are a number of other factors involved in the widening income distribution, and between economists, there is anything but a consensus on how culpability should be divided. However, one thing is certain, postsecondary education has been, and will most likely continue to be highly sought after. So why are 45 percent of community college students dropping out?
According to Dr. Clifton F. Conrad, an Education Leadership and Policy Analysis professor at UW-Madison, there are several reasons why three million people would drop out of community college without acquiring a degree. More students in community colleges are often considered independent (61%) (that is, older than 24 and/or married and/or with children) than those in four year institutions (35%) which necessitates further division of their pecuniary and temporal resources. There is also a larger percentage of part-time faculty at community colleges (67%) than at public four years (28%), often resulting in dispersion of the community college faculty's expertise throughout various colleges. Level of commitment to a degree is a large factor for any institution; and students are often not as prepared for postsecondary education and overall experience in community colleges as those in four year institutions.
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