Monday, February 12, 2007

More harrumphitude


OH, MY. The OC Register has been thinking again. Its latest commentary concerning California community colleges is sure to piss off lots of us: Community colleges get 2nd failing grade. Some excerpts:
…Unsurprisingly, a new study concludes that by increasing access to the two-year public schools, the 109-campus California Community College system's good intentions also resulted in the unintended consequence that three-fourths of students seeking degrees and certificates fail to obtain them.

…The policies adopted to increase access are blamed, in part, for the failure of students to earn two-year associate of arts degrees and certificates and bachelor's degrees after transferring to four-year colleges, according to the study, "Rules of the Game: How state policy creates barriers to degree completion and impedes student success in the California community colleges."

…The "troubling trend ... could have profound repercussions for the future of the state," according to the study by the Institute for Higher Education Leadership & Policy, at Cal State University Sacramento. One consequence, the study asserts, is that growing demand for information-age workers will be unmet.

…The study recommends removing "policy barriers to completion," by funding community colleges based on students' completion of courses, not merely enrollment, beefing up remedial instruction with part-time instructors and setting "clear standards" for incoming students "about what it takes to be college-ready."….
For the State Chancellor’s response to "Rules of the Game," go to: Reaction.

Roy's obituary in LA Times and Register: "we were lucky to have you while we did"

  This ran in the Sunday December 24, 2023 edition of the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register : July 14, 1955 - November 20, 2...