As debates rage about the value of higher education and confidence continues to erode in the impact of higher education institutions, community colleges need to remind the public and policymakers of their mission and demonstrate the understandable and measurable effects for the students they enroll and the communities they serve.
Community colleges have always been valued as the first entry point into higher education for first-generation students, veterans and other underserved student populations. Two decades ago, institutions sought to strengthen their impact by focusing on increasing credential completion and speeding the time it takes students to earn them. More recently, colleges are using labor market data tools to look more closely at the percentage of students who go on to further education, employment and whether degrees have led to higher wages—ensuring that no one graduates into poverty.
These have been critical steps—and now it is time to add measures of community impact to those student success outcomes.
Read more at Community College Daily.
