The White House Summit on Community （白宫峰会社区）.pdf

Student Support Services at Community Colleges: A Strategy for Increasing Student Persistence and Attainment Michelle Cooper Institute for Higher Education Policy Community colleges are a significant part of our two or more remedial classes (primarily in English country’s educational landscape. Even though or math), experience difficulty covering college these institutions have been in existence since costs, and struggle to balance competing priorities 1901, the 1947 Truman Commission Report gave (school, family, work).5 All of these factors rise to the community colleges of today. The report increase the likelihood of dropping out and called for the widespread establishment of reinforce the perception of community colleges as affordable public colleges that would serve revolving doors.6 community needs and offer comprehensive educational programs.1 Since then, community Yet despite this perception — legitimate or not — colleges have grown exponentially and now serve community colleges remain central to as a gateway to opportunity for millions of conversations swirling within the higher education students. and policy communities around “student success.” In order for such conversations to be productive Because of their open‐admissions policies, and fruitful, they must begin and end with the convenient locations and course schedules, close student as the focus. Placing students at the center relationships with local business and industry, and of institutional policy and practice can lead the way lower cost relative to other instituti