“Progress remains slow,” according to a recent report on faculty diversity at California’s community colleges. For Nikia Chaney, the sole full-time Black faculty member at Cabrillo College, the experience is personal.
Adam Echelman
CalMatters
Community colleges reporter for CalMatters in partnership with Open Campus.
Fewer undocumented students have DACA. California’s colleges want to help, even if the options are limited
Most undocumented college students in California are not eligible for DACA anymore, creating new dilemmas for students and colleges around employment, financial aid and the threat of deportation.
Community college enrollment plummeted during the pandemic. Here’s one reason why it’s now turning around
California’s community colleges are seeing enrollment gains for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Older students — those over 50 — are some of the first to return.
The need for student services at community colleges has changed dramatically since the 1960s. Has state law kept up?
State law requires community colleges to spend at least half their general fund on instructors. But administrators say they want more flexibility to pay for the growing need for student services.
She lost her financial aid while homeless. A bill on Newsom’s desk could help students like her.
To qualify for financial aid, students must maintain a certain grade-point-average, but many don’t. A bill on Gov. Newsom’s desk would make it easier for students to stay in college.
California community college enrollment is up, but one group of students lags behind
After a historic decline in community college enrollment during the pandemic, students are returning to school again, according to the state’s most recent data. But students between the ages of 20 and 30 are lagging behind.
Want a degree without classes and lectures? California community colleges test a new approach
Eight community colleges in California are testing out a new education model, one that defines success by the skills a student learns, not the time they spend in a classroom. But changing the traditional education system isn’t easy.
The inspiration for California’s ‘grand experiment’ at community colleges? Wisconsin
In Wisconsin, two community colleges have gotten rid of traditional grades and lectures to offer self-paced education. As California tests its own version in the coming years, what can the state expect?
Why Cal State is pushing back on community colleges’ plans to offer bachelor’s degrees
A new law allows community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees, an option for students unable to attend a four-year institution. But California State University officials are objecting to many of those proposed programs.
Drones, tacos, and billboards: How California community colleges are trying to get students back to school
After a historic drop in enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic, California community colleges are ramping up marketing efforts, spending more than $40 million in state and federal dollars to lure students back. Is it working?