Few factors affect the long-term direction of students’ lives more than the quality of their K-12 education. For students who decide to attend a four-year university, their ability to keep … Continue reading “Preparing Students for Life Beyond High School”
“Industry credentials” are a popular trend in modern education. But the term is rarely defined. Industry credentials offer the promise of short-term training or retraining for an agile, 21st-century workforce. … Continue reading “The Future for Industry Credentials”
Students in the United States have unprecedented options for postsecondary education: from brick-and-mortar liberal arts institutions and research-intensive doctoral universities to dual-enrollment high schools and online-only degree programs. Entrepreneurs are … Continue reading “The Curious Case of So-Called ‘Higher Education Deserts’”
In the first installment of this series, I offered several reasons why conservative families ought to consider sending their kids to the local community college. This time, I would like … Continue reading “Why Conservative Policymakers Should Support Community Colleges”
Student loan debt, now totaling roughly $1.3 trillion, is the second largest source of debt in the United States. This is especially concerning given that there are presently eight million people … Continue reading “Why Colleges Should Be Allowed to Limit Students’ Federal Loans”
Recently, a bill was introduced in the North Carolina legislature that would shift control of the state’s apprenticeship program from the department of commerce to the community college system. The … Continue reading “North Carolina’s Apprenticeship Program Offers Big Potential at Small Cost”
Here is a dirty little secret: I am a teacher at a community college, but I have never taken an education course. The same is true for most of my … Continue reading “A Grassroots Effort Is Changing College Instruction for the Better”
In his State of the Union address, President Obama pitched his plan for making two years of community college as “free and universal in America as high school is today.” He thinks it would be a great thing. But at the community college where I taught English from 2007 to 2010, Georgia Perimeter College, the joke was that it was already an extension of high school.
Attend a North Carolina State Board of Community Colleges meeting and you are likely to fall asleep as board members and community college system office staffers take turns dispassionately checking off the month’s agenda items to unanimous approval.
Should community colleges offer bachelor’s degrees in nursing?