A Comprehensive Guide to Choosing to Attend Community Colleges

Remedial Math Gets a New Look at Community Colleges Nationwide

As community colleges across the United States strive to improve dismal completion rates, one factor stands out as a stark obstacle for degree-seeking students – remedial math. Many students need remedial math classes after taking placement tests for community college. However, semesters of remedial math prove to be costly and time-consuming for those students. Sadly, many community college careers both start and end with remedial math. Fortunately, schools nationwide are devising new systems to give students the math instruction they need without jeopardizing their ability to earn the desired degree.

New Math Pathways Match Instruction to Needs

In California, community colleges are trying a new approach to remedial math classes. Instead of requiring students to take courses in subjects they may never need or use, math classes are customized to a student’s specific major and area of interest. For example, aspiring engineers may need remedial algebra to prepare appropriately for the math required in their degree program. However, English or history majors might be just as well suited to a class in statistics that teaches basic math concepts quickly and effectively.

According to a report in the Sacramento Bee, at least 16 community colleges across the state have adopted this approach to remedial math – so far, with great success. The publication reports that students in the new pathways program are completing math classes at a rate two to four times higher

Community college has offered opportunities to many students throughout their history. In recent years, those opportunities have been extended to incarcerated populations, offering inmates the skills and training to find productive lives after prison. By bringing education to those currently in the prison system, the hope is that once they leave the system, they will never return. Does higher education in prison work as intended? Read on about the efforts by some colleges to transform incarcerated individuals for the better.

This video outlines how education for inmates produces beneficial results.

New College Program in Mississippi Aimed at Correctional Facility

A handful of inmates at the G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility in Jackson, Michigan, are getting a new lease on life. Fifteen prisoners at this institution are enrolled in a pilot program featuring college courses from Jackson Community College. The inmates are enrolled in four rounds of studies from the school, according to a report at mLive. Classes include a computer course, available through a grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The inmates themselves pay for the rest of the classes. Some are using money they saved before incarceration, while others are relying on friends and family to foot the bill until they are released and able to begin earning their living. Most prisoners are ineligible for financial aid from the government, and even those who have some eligibility have

Thinking about community college? Consider this – there are numerous ways to benefit from a community college education outside the classroom environment. With a wealth of extracurricular activities to choose from today, you’ll never be at a loss for how to fill your time. Check out these valuable ways to benefit from your local community college outside the classroom.

Log Some Service Hours

Many community colleges offer students the opportunity to flex their volunteer muscles through a variety of community service projects. According to the American Association of Community Colleges, volunteer work offers a myriad of benefits to students, including the ability to engage in the civic community and learn new skills they can take with them after graduation. This organization now promotes service learning to more than 1,200 schools nationwide. Service options might include working with specific organizations in the area or individual projects organized by the community college and based on the specific needs of the local neighborhood.

This TEDx Talk discusses the benefits of volunteering.

Take in a Concert

Community colleges with robust music departments might feature a wealth of musical offerings from their students throughout the year. Choose from various genres, including jazz and classical, as well as vocal and instrumental music performances. In addition, many community colleges host visiting musical artists throughout the year, giving students in and out of their music programs the chance to

While many college students today are opting for a two-year degree over four years in school, there is an even shorter option to consider. Community college students are finding that certificate programs can be completed in much less time, yet reap the same employment benefits as a full degree program. Check out these benefits of professional certification from your local community college.

Consider the Statistics

While many are still out of work in the United States, millions of jobs remain unfilled. Why? There are no skilled workers to fill the slots, according to a report at CNN Money. Employers need workers who can come right into a position with the necessary training and experience. However, much of that training is not available through four-year universities. Instead, students must turn to schools that are providing the specific training employers in the community require. This is the important void that community colleges are learning to fill – and often through certification and licensing programs.

This video compares a professional certificate vs. a master's degree.

Fast Turnaround

Community college degree programs typically take around two years to complete, but certification programs can take significantly less time. AOL Jobs estimates that most certificate programs range in length from six months to one year. In addition, coursework for these types of programs is often offered in the evenings or on weekends for students who are trying