Explore Your Options with an Associate Degree In Industrial Tech

Remedial education has become an integral part of the community college experience for many schools across the country. Students who need additional help in the core curricula like reading, writing, and math can get the help they need to succeed in a college program and get a higher-paying job once their degree is complete. However, remedial education is not without its share of controversy in higher education circles. Some question the need for such courses and believe the money spent on remedial education could effectively be allocated elsewhere.

Who Owns the Problem?

The first question regarding remedial education is who owns the problem of high school graduates not being adequately prepared for postsecondary education. Many believe it is the job of high schools to ensure students are college-ready when they graduate. However, a recent report at Inside Higher Ed explains that at this time, a standardized platform for college readiness simply does not exist. The article states, “Because colleges have not clearly articulated the skills that students must possess to be college-ready, students are blindsided when they are placed into remedial courses, and high schools don’t have a clear benchmark for preparing students for success.”

If high schools do not know the college-readiness standards, it can be nearly impossible for them to adequately prepare students for the academic rigors of postsecondary education. While the article's author acknowledges that setting college standards across the country would not be easy, he does assert the

Since the Great Recession began a few short years ago, budgets have been a concern for community colleges, with less money coming in from their states. This problem is exacerbated by the unprecedented influx of students, from displaced workers seeking new training to high school graduates who can no longer afford a four-year university. Fortunately, some community colleges are seeing financial relief as grants come from a wide range of resources. We’ll look at some grants community colleges receive for the upcoming school year.

Grants Given to Ivy Tech for the Benefit of Military Students

Ivy Tech is the big winner in the grant offered to Indiana colleges by the Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University. This community college received more than a half-million in funding from the foundation. According to a report at Inside Indiana Business, the money was awarded based on Ivy Tech’s efforts to enhance services for student service members, veterans, and their families.

The money is offered in 12 separate grants that will go to many of the Ivy Tech campuses across the state. The funds will be used for the following:

• The development of a podcast that will be used to educate students and faculty and create a supportive environment for veterans
• Enhancement of relationships with community agencies that work with the military population, such as WorkOne and Veterans of Foreign Affairs
• The creation of a “Boots to Suits” program to help veterans transition to civilian life

Ivy Tech

While community colleges offer a wealth of options in associate degree programs and practical career training, the majority of students that grace a community college campus for a period of time are not content with a degree from these schools. In fact, the large majority of community college students have plans to further their education by eventually transferring their credits to a four-year institution. This is the precise subject of the latest report by the College Board that looked at the high number of community college students that want to transfer to a four-year university and why.

About the Report

College Board is a non-profit organization committed to equality in education, from the early primary years all the way through postsecondary education. This particular report, titled, “Improving Student Transfer from Community Colleges to Four-Year Institutions,” was designed to emphasize the importance of smooth pathways between community colleges and other institutions of higher education. The College Board website estimates that more than 7 million students enrolled in community colleges – up to 41 percent of all college students across the country - at any given time. With so many students enrolled in community colleges, it is important to assess what the choices for these students might be should they decide to continue to pursue their education after their initial degree program is completed.

This video shows college leaders discussing improvements to the transfer process.

Community colleges have traditionally served students of all ages and from all walks of life, unlike other postsecondary schools, which primarily cater to high school graduates. The recent Great Recession impacted enrollment at community colleges across the country, although until recently, the precise areas of that impact were not yet known. A new study has helped clarify some specifics of how the recession has impacted enrollment at community colleges nationwide.

About the Study

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center conducted this study primarily to determine how the recent recession impacted college enrollment and persistence patterns. The study looked at thousands of institutions nationwide to determine the number of first-time students under 21 who enrolled in a postsecondary institution for the fall term between 2006 and 2010. According to a report at Inside Higher Ed, this report is designed to be the first in a series of reports titled "Signature Reports" by this organization.

What the Study Found

The study "Understanding the Recession's Impact on U.S. College Enrollment and Persistence Patterns" found that a larger number of students chose community college after high school. However, the larger numbers in this area did not seem to detract from enrollment at private colleges since these schools did not suffer the losses that many expected throughout the recession.

Dr. Don Hossler, Executive Director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, told Fox that some of the findings from the study were not what researchers expected to find. Dr. Hossler said,