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Adam Echelman

CalMatters

Community colleges reporter for CalMatters in partnership with Open Campus.

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Posted inCalifornia

This community college has 1 full-time Black faculty member out of 165. Why campuses struggle with diversity

By Adam Echelman, CalMattersJanuary 4, 2024January 4, 2024

“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.

Posted inCalifornia

Fewer undocumented students have DACA. California’s colleges want to help, even if the options are limited

By Adam Echelman, CalMattersNovember 30, 2023March 13, 2024

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.

Posted inCalifornia

Community college enrollment plummeted during the pandemic. Here’s one reason why it’s now turning around

By Adam Echelman, CalMattersNovember 13, 2023November 14, 2023

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.

Posted inCalifornia

The need for student services at community colleges has changed dramatically since the 1960s. Has state law kept up?

By Adam Echelman, CalMattersOctober 31, 2023November 1, 2023

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.

Posted inCalifornia

She lost her financial aid while homeless. A bill on Newsom’s desk could help students like her.

By Adam Echelman, CalMattersSeptember 29, 2023October 3, 2023

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.

Posted inCalifornia

California community college enrollment is up, but one group of students lags behind

By Adam Echelman, CalMattersSeptember 27, 2023September 27, 2023

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.

Posted inCalifornia

Want a degree without classes and lectures? California community colleges test a new approach

By Adam Echelman, CalMattersSeptember 12, 2023September 12, 2023

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.

Posted inCalifornia

The inspiration for California’s ‘grand experiment’ at community colleges? Wisconsin

By Adam Echelman, CalMattersSeptember 12, 2023September 12, 2023

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?

Posted inCalifornia

Why Cal State is pushing back on community colleges’ plans to offer bachelor’s degrees

By Adam Echelman, CalMattersAugust 11, 2023August 16, 2023

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.

Posted inCalifornia

Drones, tacos, and billboards: How California community colleges are trying to get students back to school

By Adam Echelman, CalMattersAugust 4, 2023August 4, 2023

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?

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