Recent Dialog About Community Colleges Shows Value

There is much talk lately about community colleges and how they can add value to the educational process.  To rank, or not to rank? Elite-ism or no? Can a community college education help this country turn around the economic crisis?


The Value of A Community College Education

Rankings for Community Colleges?

According to Washington Monthly, community colleges should be ranked but not in the same way as four-year schools.  PHCC was ranked 38 of the 50 top community college by WM. 
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/rankings_2010/community_colleges.php


Here's a great article talking about community colleges, what they have to offer, and how they measure up:
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/feature/americas_best_community_colleg_1.php

The Creativity Crisis In America

For the first time, research shows that American creativity is declining. What went wrong—and how we can fix it.

This is a long read, but well worth it to those of us in education, and anyone interested in creativity.  See the bit at the end:  How Creative Are You?

The Creativity Crisis in America

Meeting the Challenge

We are all aware of the great effort across this nation to increase the number of high school graduates. Well guess what.

President Obama is not impressed with your high school diploma. Neither is Wal-Mart.

This is a recent headline in the Atlantic magazine which talks about Wal-Mart offering college scholarships for its employees. It seems that soon you may need a college degree even to work at Wal-Mart.

This is encouraging from an education perspective. But it is also a little worrisome when you consider that our major manufacturing industries – the ones for which no special education was required - are no longer here. For many now, the best employment option is to work somewhere like WalMart.

Our local educational attainment rates mean that more than 80 percent of our population won’t be able to work at WalMart if they need a college degree.  In fact, the fastest growing occupations require at least some education beyond high school. You can see in the chart below that while there are some jobs that require on-the-job-training, most of these jobs will need a bachelor’s degree.

What don’t you see here? Manufacturing jobs.  

Wal-Mart is not alone in pushing for more people to earn college degrees. In just the last few months, President Obama announced his American Graduation Initiative to boost graduation rates. And while that has been shelved due to the health care reform debate, the goal of increasing the number of American graduates remains. Grow by Degrees is a state initiative to add 70,000 graduates in the next 10 years. The Global Skills for College Completion Project also aims to increase student success and graduation rates. Such initiatives are popping up all over the place these days.

Why such urgency to increase the number of college graduates? Because this nation is losing ground to our international competitors.

While we once stood at the top tier in terms of producing college graduates, we are being usurped by nations like China and Singapore. Where once we led the world in the percentage of adult workers who have a degree, by some counts, the U.S. now ranks 17th of those with a bachelor’s degree among major industrialize nations.

Fewer college graduates mean a weakened economy because the best jobs, the innovative programs, the largest contracts go to the folks with the most education. The costs are huge: America, once the world’s superpower could become a second, or even third rate nation.

You know, We complain because our industries are moving overseas. We shudder when we answer a call or make a call for service and hear a foreign accent on the other end of the line.

But the real threat isn’t just that these jobs have been outsourced overseas. The real threat is that our high-skill, high-pay jobs are also being filled by people from other countries. Think about it: Why would a company pay $60,000 or more to an American engineer when they can hire an equally or more highly qualified Indian engineer for $15,000?

What’s to be done? We need to take a hard look at ourselves – at our attitudes about the value of education and our work ethic and make the decision to commit to a change.

Bureau of Labor Statistics

If you take a look at this chart, you’ll see that the higher the degree, the more money is earned, and the fewer people who earn it. household income in 2009 was $37,696, per capita income was $20,194, and the average household income was $46,775.  Compare that to 2000: the Martinsville family median income was $35,351 with 19% of population below the poverty line, and the Henry County family median income was $38, 649 with 12% of population below the poverty line. As you can see, things haven’t changed much in the 9 years between 2000 and 2009. In addition, unemployment in our community is still the highest in the state, at just over 20 percent.

It gets worse. Our population is declining. Projections fromo the Economic Development Corporation have the population decreasing over the next 15 years by approximately 2,000 people in both Henry County and Martinsville.

Where are they going? They’re probably looking for jobs. Why aren’t the jobs coming here? According to STATS America, companies that want to relocate are looking for a variety of things, called the Innovation Index. They look for a healthy population of young adults, high tech employment, and a growing number of small businesses. Note that one of the major factors affecting whether a community is considered innovative is educational attainment.

A lack of education doesn’t only affect income and economic development. It hits home in many ways. Teenage and unwed mother pregnancy.

• Out of 1,000 births in Martinsville, 47 are to teenagers (state average 16) and in Henry County 17 are to teenagers.
• In Martinsville, the median income for female-based families with children is $18,542, Henry County, $19, 446. The state average is $21,602.
• The percentage of non-marital births in Martinsville was 62%, in Henry County, 50% compared to the state average of 32%.
  Statistics supplied by United Way of Henry County and Martinsville

Increased crime rates.  Note these headlines from the Martinsville Bulletin inthe past six months.

• Teen held in store slaying
• Local teenager indicted in slaying outside Eden club
• Youth surrenders in shooting death
• Attempted murder alleged in Patrick
• Man sought in slaying
• Trial set in triple slaying
• Arrests made in robbery
• Perry: Gang activity is on the rise here
• Two held on robbery charges

Obesity and other health problems.  Alcohol and substance abuse.
The only way our community is going to be revitalized economically and societally is to increase the number of college graduates.  The only way our nation is going to maintain, and even better, its standing internationally is to increase the number of college graduates. 

What can you do to meet the challenge?  Get this message out every chance you get.  Encourage young people, old people, all people to get educated and earn that degree! Our community will be a better, stronger and safer place for it.

How Do You Measure Success?

An editorial in Campus Technology poses this question in light of a soon-to-be implemented accountability mandate that measures the outcomes of colleges of education based in part on K-12 student data.  What if a similar system was implemented for other schools or colleges? As author Geoff Flectcher muses: "For colleges of engineering, do you look at the number of bridges that fall down in which graduates had a hand?"

Read  more.

If You Aren’t Alarmed, You Aren’t Paying Attention

Read a post from PHCC Distinguished Alumnus Chad Ratliff regarding the Economic Report of the President and how it address education.

If You Aren’t Alarmed, You Aren’t Paying Attention

Should States Start Taxing Nonprofits to Raise Revenue?

Some states are starting to tax nonprofits or charge fees for services, such as fire protection, in order to raise revenue. Some colleges are paying for services; others might have to start paying tax on property; and in at least one case, a proposal was made to levy a 1 percent tax on tuition.


Does it seem that the poor and disenfranchised will carry the burden for the wealthy in raising funds to keep states afloat?

Read the New York Times article

Will Tea Party Groups Threaten Community College Funding?

It is the age-old argument:  raise taxes or cut services.  Which is more important to you?

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-02-25-IHE-tea-party-community-college25_ST_N.htm?csp=34

The Dalai Lama is tweeting. Are you?

Master of one of the world'd oldest philosophies adopts latest technology.

What is the value of a tweet?  To you?  To an organization?  To the world?

Classroom Victories

I found a very cool forum with a stream on classroom victories. Tales of success!  Uplifting! Enlightening! Inspiring!

I know some PHCC faculty have similar tales to share.  Please, share them there, or share them here - but share!

http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,64526.0.html

Why Is It So Hard to Change?

The League for Innovation has posted a discussion about a new book: Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

Why is it so hard to make lasting changes in our companies, in our communities, and in our own lives? The primary obstacle is a conflict that’s built into our brains, say Chip Heath and Dan Heath, authors of the critically acclaimed bestseller Made to Stick. Psychologists have discovered that our minds are ruled by two different systems—the rational mind and the emotional mind—that compete for control. The rational mind wants a great beach body; the emotional mind wants that Oreo cookie. The rational mind wants to change something at work; the emotional mind loves the comfort of the existing routine. This tension can doom a change effort—but if it is overcome, change can come quickly.

Read more, then come back here to comment.

Is It Too Easy to Get an A?

A post on Higher Ed Morning poses an interesting question: what direction does higher education need to take to halt or slow down grade inflation?  What about the trend over the years toward higher grades – and less time studying?  According to the author, research has shown students are putting in half as much time studying — often less than 10 hours a week — than they were 40 years ago.


Check it out:  http://www.higheredmorning.com/is-it-too-easy-to-get-an-a.


Then come back here and post your comments.

"If Current Trends Continue . . . .

The next generation will be the first to have less education than their parents. ... We are now 10th in the world for the percentage of people with college degrees." --

Carol Lincoln

MDC, Inc.

at the DEI Strategy Institute, Feb. 2, 2010

Our Global Skills Experience - Reflections

From Michelle Zollars:

From January 5-8, in warm and sunny Phoenix, Arizona, I, along with 25 other developmental educators from around the country and leaders from Knowledge for the Public Interest, the League for Innovation in the Community College, and LaGuardia Community College, met to begin a two-year project entitled Global Skills for College Completion. During my four days at the beautiful Arizona Biltmore Resort, my colleagues and I began to develop promising innovations in pedagogy that will increase the success rates for developmental students.

As I was waiting for a taxi at the Phoenix Airport, the porter asked why I was in Phoenix. I went on to explain that it was for a conference. He smiled and told me to make sure I sneak out of a couple of sessions and enjoy the beautiful Phoenix weather. I simply nodded yet thought to myself, "I sure hope so." The next four days of "Camp Innovation" were so rigorous and packed with activities, meetings, interviews, etc., that I simply had to live vicariously through my husband and daughter, who availed themselves of the horseback riding, hot air ballooning, and sunbathing.

Now that I am back home, the hard work begins. Each participant has an e-portfolio which will be used to document classroom activities, assessment, and reflection. My sincere desire is that through the sharing of these 26 faculty members, I will happen upon ideas and innovations from which all of us here at PHCC can benefit. For example, here is a link to a colleague's webpage that explains how he uses the video softward Jing to provide feedback to his students. If you are unfamiliar with Jing (another popular one is Camtasia), these are software programs that allow teachers to video their comments for students.

Here's the link: http://www2.hawaii.edu/~rsunahar/

As I come across other ideas worth sharing, I'll pass them along.


From Bronte Miller:

Michelle and I had an amazing experience at Camp Innovation, the retreat that launched our participation in the Global Skills for College Completion project. Phoenix was warm and beautiful and our accommodations were spectacular, but the amenities weren’t the reason for our amazing experience.

The Global Skills for College Completion project has brought together some of the most inspiring, dedicated, and energetic educators we’ve ever met. We found kindred spirits there, folks who respect and value students, who consider developmental education to be a sacred trust, and who believe that with focused effort, this project will transform basic skills education.

At Camp Innovation, Michelle and I began learning about the project, its goals, the research, our roles, and how we would be supported. We came away from the retreat both excited and overwhelmed by the project’s scope. But mostly, we came away believing in the possibility that thousands more students will realize their full potential as a result of the work we do here.

As we begin to document our work and collect “shreds of evidence” of student success, we recognize more than ever how fortunate we are to work at PHCC, an institution that supports, encourages, and leads best practices in education.

America at a Precipice: Graduation Rates Must Increase

The alarm has been sounded. America, the world's super-power, is teetering at a precipice. Once boasting the world's highest proportion of college graduates, America is falling behind in educational attainment and skills, and thus losing economic advantage. Experts theorize: the country can continue its slide, perhaps becoming a second or even third tier power, or it can redefine itself to meet the changing global economy.

With that realization, the nation now looks with a renewed interest to community colleges for workforce development and for leveling the playing field in bringing American education back to global competitiveness. A myriad of new initiatives have emerged focusing on improving educational outcomes. Almost all aspire to increase graduation rates across the country. The question is, how?

It is well established that most community college students enter college under-prepared. Nationally, between 60 and 80 percent of community college students require developmental education to succeed in college-level classes. But fewer than 60 percent of those students complete these classes. Increasing the number of students who matriculate from developmental to college-level classes would logically increase the number of students who continue on to earn an associate degree.

Enter the Global Skills for College Completion project (GSCC), sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The League for Innovation in the Community College, Knowledge in the Public Interest, and LaGuardia Community College in New York. GSCC is not the first initiative to attempt to increase success rates of developmental students; Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count (AtD), a Lumina Foundation funded initiative, is now in its fifth year and has worked with over a hundred colleges across the nation, and the Developmental Education Initiative, a Gates Foundation and MDC, Inc. initiative formed last year, is working with 15 American community colleges. These are only two of many.

Like AtD, the Developmental Education Initiative and others, GSCC determines to increase the pass rate of community college students in developmental math and writing. In fact, it plans an increase of up to 80 percent. To accomplish this, GSCC has identified 26 of the highest performing basic skills faculty from the more than 1,200 community colleges across the country to come together to change the way developmental education is taught.

Throughout all this, one small community college in rural Virginia has been making its mark. Patrick Henry Community College (PHCC) in Martinsville, already recognized nationally in academic circles as one of the leaders in collaborative learning, has been selected as only one of 13 colleges in 16 states across the country to participate in the GSCC project.

Having served as a pilot college for the AtD initiative in 2004, PHCC went on to become a “leader college” in AtD and implemented a program of collaborative learning, training faculty who have since become "train the trainers" for numerous other community colleges across the country. Subsequently, the college was tapped for the DEI initiative mentioned above, and is building upon its successes with the AtD grant.

GSCC brings together faculty who will work to identify and integrate best practices that sharply improve student outcomes. Over a two-year period of research and action, a new pedagogy and curriculum will be created, and ultimately a national professional development and certification program will be developed which validates faculty's ability to be effective in basic skills classrooms. The goal, according to GSCC, is to change the face of American education.

Two faculty members from PHCC will participate in this breakthrough faculty-driven process. Bronte' Miller, Associate Professor of Developmental Mathematics, and Michelle Zollars, Associate Professor of Developmental English, will share innovations with the other 24 faculty in person and remotely using technology. Both are veteran developmental educators who were identified because of their successes in the classroom. The significance of the project has been lost on neither.
"Students who enter college underprepared require more than the acquisition of basic skills knowledge. They need to develop thinking and reasoning skills, they need to gain a sense of competence and confidence in their abilities, and they need the motivation and courage to take the next step. Good developmental education addresses all of these needs," Miller said. "Throughout my 18 year career, PHCC has made the success of our students its top priority. It's nice to see these efforts recognized on a national stage."

Zollars echoes the sentiment of pride in the college and humility about being tapped as a participant. "Am I surprised that I was chosen to be a part of this elite group? Absolutely. Am I surprised that Patrick Henry Community College is represented? Absolutely not! That may seem like a paradox. However, PHCC is one of the leaders in developmental education across the country, and LaGuardia Community College, who sponsors the project, along with the League for Innovation in the Community College and Knowledge in the Public Interest, are aware of PHCC's reputation in this field."