DOCUMENT RESUME ED 482 965 JC 030 554 Community Colleges: Federal Resources Supporting Local TITLE Opportunities. Office of Vocational and Adult Education (ED), Washington, INSTITUTION DC. 2004-01-00 PUB DATE 20p.; Produced with DTI Associates, Inc. NOTE ED-99-00-0163 CONTRACT ED Pubs, Education Publications Center, U.S. Department of AVAILABLE FROM Education, P.O. Box 1398. Tel: 877-433-7827 (Toll Free); TDD/TTY: 800-437-0833 (Toll Free); Fax: 301-470-1244; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://www.ed.gov/ pubs/edpubs.html. Reports Descriptive (141) PUB TYPE EDRS Price MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. EDRS PRICE College Faculty; *Community Colleges; Statistics; Student DESCRIPTORS Financial Aid; Tuition; Two Year Colleges ABSTRACT This publication summarizes the role community and technical colleges play in educating Americans. It also features a list of federal initiatives that support these valuable institutions and the growing number of students they serve in preparing America's future. Sections include: (1) (2) Who are Community College Students; Community Colleges: Economic Engines; (3) The Federal (3) The Federal Role in Community Colleges; Government/Community College Resource Guide; and (4) Other Federal Departments or Agencies Funding Community Colleges. (AMT) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. K AMA t D ---pur5pA Community Colleges Federal Resources supporting Local Opportunities U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) Thisdocument has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. 0 Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. All BEST COPY A ;\ ) 2 This brochure was produced under U.S. Department of Education Contract No. ED-99-00-0163 with DTI Associates, of Inc. No official endorsement by the U.S. Department Education of any product, commodity, service or enterprise mentioned in this publication is intended or should be inferred. U.S. Department of Education Rod Paige Secretary Office of Vocational and Adult Education Susan Sclafani Assistant Secretary Joan Athen Special Assistant for Community Colleges January 2004 This report is in the public domain. Authorization to repro- duce it in whole or in part is granted. While permission to should reprint this publication is not necessary, the citation Local be: Community Colleges, Federal Resources supporting Opportunities, U.S. Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education, Washington, D.C., 2004. 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For the Department's Alternative more information, please contact Format Center at (202) 260-9895 or (202) 205-8113. 3 Letter from The Secretary of Education Community and technical colleges advance Americans and the American economy. They educate and train the next generation of workers and retrain the current workforce with the skills necessary to succeed in today's knowledge economy. For many decades, community and technical col- leges have been one of the silent engines behind America's economic development. They offer mil- lions of Americans the skills to provide for them- selves and their families. Today they are particu- larly distinguished for being the postsecondary education institution chosen most often by minori- ty and first-generation students. We believe that community colleges are an ideal life for many Americans. For means to success in offer affordable teens, community colleges education and employable avenues to higher skills in their own home communities. For adults, they are one-stop centers for literacy, English as a Second Language and new skills training. This publication summarizes the role community and technical colleges play in educating Americans. It also features a list of federal initiatives that support these valuable institutions and the growing number of students they serve in preparing America's future. Rod Paige U.S. Secretary of Education 4 - - 1 Community Colleges: Economic Engines Originating more than 100 years ago, community colleges today serve as a crucial bridge between 20th-century experience and 21st-century skills. Community colleges are important economic engines that help drive the education and training of the American workforce by working closely with local businesses, high schools, universities and community organizations. Community and technical colleges help turn striving teens into suc- cessful adults, and adults lacking skills into quali- fied workers, by providing: Local, affordable access to higher education; Specialized training and education to meet local workforce needs, which help eliminate shortages of qualified workers; and Retraining and other services for adults who are laid off or have insufficient skills for new jobs opening in the local area. Community colleges provide education and trqining for 65 percent of new health care work- ers, some portion of the college coursework for nearly 40 percent of current teachers, and the initial postsecondary education for one in five bachelor's degree recipients certified to teach. They provide these and other services while being the most affordable and accessible avenue to higher education for Americans, with annual tuition and fees totaling an average of around $1,300 per student. www.nces.ed.gov/progroms/digest/d02/tables/dt312.asp 5 - 3 College Who Are Community Students? attend courses for More than 5.4 million students colleges-- credit at 1,600 community and technical An nearly half of all undergraduates in America. non-credit additional five million students take In all, enrollment at these institutions. courses at 1960. these schools has grown fivefold since attending two-year pub- A profile of students education. lk institutions of higher Full-time Part-time National Center for Education Source: U.S. Department of Education, Table 176, NCES 2002. Statistics. Digest of Education Statistics, 2001, Washington, DC: 2002. Mole L Female Center for Education Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Table 177, NCES 2002. Statistics. Digest of Education Statistics, 2001, Washington, DC: 2002. BEr coPY AV/4UB Nearly half of the nation's minority under- graduate students enroll in public two-year institutions. Each bar chart below represents 100 percent of the total population for each demographic group listed. African American Hispanic N.I.Nar ID Notive American 53% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. 1999-2000 Notional Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:2000), Table 6, NCES 2002. Washington, DC: 2002. According to the American Association of Community Colleges, the average age of all community and technical college students is 29, but the median age is 23-24 for credit-enrolled students, down from 26-27 a decade ago. One of the largest cohorts attending community col- leges is that of traditional college-age students (ages 18-24). The Federal Role in Community Colleges of federal finan- Pell Grants are the greatest source students. The U.S. cial aid to community college Office of Postsecondary Department of Education, federal postsecondary Education (OPE) formulates to education policy and administers programs postsecondary educa- improve access to quality with OPE, the tion. Working in tandem and Adult Department's Office of Vocational education in commu- Education (OVAE) focuses on colleges as well as high school nity and technical principles of No Child and adult education. The community college Left Behind are realized at the America's Future" level through OVAE's "Preparing has three key priorities: initiative. The initiative youth to finish high Preparing every American and employ- school and for further education school. ment after high technical colleges Supporting community and potential as a nexus for educa- to fulfill their well as work- tion and career preparation, as force and economic development. higher lev- Expanding adult learning to bring fluency to millions. els of literacy and English by funding individ- OVAE supports these priorities and by identifying ual projects and state grants been effective in colleges and states that have follow. education and training. OVAE initiatives Initiative gathers The Accelerated Transition and information on the prevalence, programs practices of credit-based transition programs. 8 o Credit-based programs provide students with the option of gaining postsecondary credit while still enrolled in high school. There are a variety of such programs, including Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Dual- Credit, Tech-Prep and Middle College. The College and Career Transitions Initiative is designed to strengthen the role of community and technical colleges in eas- ing student transitions between secondary and postsecondary education and improving academic performance at both the second- ary and postsecondary levels. The Community College Labor Market Responsiveness Initiative seeks to enable colleges to keep better pace with the needs of a diverse student body and dynamic labor market. The project identifies the traits of col- leges that respond to local labor market needs and encourages colleges to adopt these traits as they improve responsiveness and the quality of customized programs. The Performance Measurement Initiative coordinates high school and college curricula while promoting greater accountability. The project develops and tests performance accountability systems for high school, com- munity colleges and technical schools. Updates of new initiatives that focus on community colleges can be found on the OVAE Web site at www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/cclo/index.htrnl. 9 7 The Federal Government/ Community College Resource Guide The following are examples of federal initiatives that engage community colleges. While currently funded, not all of these programs may be included in the president's fiscal year 2005 budget. For a of federal support to more complete overview community and technical colleges, please visit www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/cclo/index.html. Funding Directly to Community Colleges U.S. Department of Education Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) (Higher Education Act, Title IV-A) CCAMPIS helps low-income parents attend postsecondary institutions by offering campus-based childcare services. www.ed.gov/programs/campisp/index.html Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (Higher Education Act, Title V) Grants for up to five years help colleges with at least 25 per- cent Hispanic enrollment meet the needs of Hispanic and low-income students. www.ed.gov/programs/idueshsi/index.html Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) (Higher Education Act, Title VII-B) FIPSE supports exemplary, locally developed projects that are models for innovative reform and improvement in post- secondary education. www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/fipse/index.html Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) (Higher Education Act, Title IV-A) GEAR UP is a grant program that helps more low-income stu- dents prepare for postsecondary education. Five-year grants and to states and partnerships support services at middle high schools in high-poverty areas. www.ed.gov/programs/gearup/index.html 10 8