U'S' Department of Education

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U.S. Department of Education

• Community Colleges
• A Key Driver in Education and Workforce Systems

Joan I. Athen Special Assistant for Community
College
Southeastern Association of Community College
Research August 2005
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No Child Left Behind Key Principles

• Increase accountability for student performance
• Focus on what works
• Reduce bureaucracy and increase flexibility
• Choices for students and parents

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Economic Change

• Changing nature of the workforce.
• Fastest growing jobs require some education
  beyond high school.
• Employers express concern about the lack of
  essential skills among students.

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Skill Level Changes
Skilled 20
Unskilled 15
Unskilled 60
Professional 20
Skilled 65
Professional 20
1950
1997
National Summit on 21st Century Skills for 21st
Century Jobs
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Losing Our Edge?

• NAEP 2002 Math Assessment
• 12th Graders Scoring Below Basic
• 35 percent of all students
• 56 percent of Hispanic students
• 69 percent of African-American students
• 60 percent of low-income students

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Losing Our Edge?

• NAEP 2002 Reading Assessment
• 12th Graders Scoring Below Basic
• 26 percent of all students
• 39 percent of Hispanic students
• 46 percent of African-American students
• 40 percent of low-income students
• 18 percent of students with college-educated
• parents

SOURCE U.S. Department of Education, Institute
of Education Sciences, National Center for
Education Statistics, National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP), 2002
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Losing Our Edge?
Students Enrolled in Postsecondary (in millions)
UNESCO, 2003
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Losing Our Edge?

• New Participants in the World Economy
• China, India and Russia 3 billion people
• 10 highly educated 300 million people
• USA 300 million people
• 25 highly educated 75 million
• Competition for jobs 375 million people
• USA students/adults will face greater competition
  in the future than anytime in history

UNESCO, 2003
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Preparation Matters

• Strongest predictor of college completion -- a
  rigorous and challenging high school course of
  study.
• Strongest predictor is mathematics.
• Second strongest predictor is lab science

Answers in the Tool Box by Clifford Adelman, June
1999
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Advanced Math Science Increases At-Risk
Students Postsecondary Enrollment
Source NCES, The Condition of Education, p. 51.
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21st Century Strategies

• Integrate academic mission of No Child Left
  Behind with high-value technical education
  programs
• Help students make a smooth transition into
  postsecondary education
• Prepare youth and career-changing adults with
  academic and technical skills needed in todays
  workforce
• Strengthen the Nations economic competitiveness

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Shortages of Workers

• . . .community colleges are well
• adapted to meeting the needs of
• local employers. Theyre flexible,
• theyre able to say to an employer, what
• do you need, and well educate the
• people for the kind of workers you
• need.
• President George Bush
• South Arkansas Community College
• April 6, 2004

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Community College Initiatives

• The U.S. Department of Education
• funds seven initiatives that support
• community and technical colleges
• to fulfill their potential as engines
• of education, career preparation,
• economic development.

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Community College Initiatives
Accelerating Student Success Through
Credit-Based Options Explores how programs that
allow high school students to take college
courses are structured, the practices
implemented, and their impact on student
outcomes. www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/
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Community College Initiatives
Adult Education to Community College
TransitionsExplores how programs, practices,
and policies facilitate the transition from adult
basic education to community college certificate
and degree completion. www.ed.gov/about/offices
/list/ovae/
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Strengthening Mathematicsexplores strategies
and practices in developmental mathematics
instruction that have been designed by community
colleges, the military, business, and organized
labor. www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/
Community College Initiatives
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High Skills for High Growth Careers
explores the delivery methods for postsecondary
education to better satisfy the complex
occupational education needs and skill demands of
the 21st century knowledge economy.
www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/
Community College Initiatives
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Community College Initiatives
Increasing the Capacity of Community Colleges to
Address Workforce Shortages Explores innovative
strategies and methods to meet the growing demand
for courses and degrees, as well as to meet local
and national workforce needs.
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College and Career Transitions Initiative
explores how community colleges can develop
career pathway programs that align a series of
academic and technical courses from high school
through the community college and into the
workforce. www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/
Community College Initiatives
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Community College Labor-Market Responsiveness
explores how community colleges design programs
that are aligned with the economic growth sectors
of their communities. www.ed.gov/about/offices/l
ist/ovae/
Community College Initiatives
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Questions and Comments

• OVAE_at_ed.gov
• www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/cclo
• Joan Athen
• Special Assistant for Community Colleges