Opening Doors: How Community Colleges Can Help Low-Wage Workers Earn College Credentials

A Forum — July 25, 2003

Background

MDRC has launched the Opening Doors Demonstration, which grew out of earlier efforts to learn about the barriers that prevent low-wage workers from enrolling in and successfully completing community college programs. In the first stage of the study, MDRC conducted a series of focus groups at 6 community colleges to solicit their views on this topic. Among the 131 people who participated in the groups, 90% were single mothers, many were current or former welfare recipients, and most held low-wage jobs. The report that resulted from this study, Opening Doors: Students’ Perspectives on Juggling Work, Family, and College, distills opinions from this cross-section of current, former, and potential community college students and suggests how policy and program changes on the part of colleges, public agencies, and private employers could make it easier for low-wage working students to earn college credentials. At this American Youth Policy Forum, panelists discussed the findings of the focus group study, the Demonstration that is tackling problems from the focus group findings, and efforts to support low-wage workers of one of the community colleges selected as a Demonstration site.

Forum Summary

According to Lisa Grossman, Senior Policy Analyst at the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and an author of the MDRC study, participants in the focus groups identified three major challenges associated with enrolling and completing community college programs: 1) Lack of time. Participants reported there were not enough hours in the day to combine parenting, school, and work-related responsibilities. Consequently, completion of one-year and two-year degree programs takes them longer than traditional students. 2) Lack of money. Participants said that costs of tuition and books were significant and standard financial aid packages did not provide sufficient money to cover college-related costs. Further, some students were not eligible for funds due to pre-existing defaults, less than full-time status, or poor academic performance in previous years. 3) Participants also said that they suffered from a lack of support from peers and family members. Employers, too, were insufficiently supportive, and students were often unable to satisfy academic responsibilities due to inflexible work schedules.

MDRC’s research found that participants encountered numerous personal barriers such as discrimination, domestic violence, limited access to housing, and health problems; unfortunately, this was coupled with an “information gap:” students lacked knowledge about the supports and social services available on campus and in the community that would help them overcome barriers to their success. The study found that higher education faculty are frequently “on the front line” and serve as primary sources of information about supports and services and as social workers for their students.

The researchers’ analysis of the discussions led them to the conclusion that there is no “one size fits all solution” to the problems identified in the study. “Complicated problems require complicated solutions.” For instance, issues related to childcare were experienced in common by participants. However, the solution to this problem varied from one person to another; some needed more access, some affordability; some were concerned about quality, some about the length of time children spent in childcare, and others were concerned about leaving adolescents unsupervised in the home.

Melissa Wavelet, a Senior Operations Associate from MDRC who worked on the first stage of the Opening Doors study, discussed current work being done in the Demonstration phase of the study. Currently, MDRC is working with selected states and colleges to implement and evaluate innovative programs and policies designed to help non-traditional students earn postsecondary credentials. Three goals, based on needs identified in the earlier focus groups, have been adopted, and three corresponding types of solutions have been designed and implemented at the selected sites. To enhance financial aid for low-wage workers, colleges have developed new forms of financial aid that cover both direct college costs (tuition and books) and opportunity costs (for instance, the reduced salaries that result when students must cut back on their work hours to attend classes). Participating colleges have also added more counselors to help students navigate the complex financial aid system. And, to enhance on-campus student support services, some colleges have assigned each student an advisor who has a lower than normal caseload and meets with students monthly, and who provides academic advisement, academic and tutoring support, personal and career counseling, crisis intervention, and peer support programs. Colleges have also begun to implement curriculum reform in ways that support students and help them balance their multiple responsibilities. Some colleges have integrated coursework with occupational training, redesigned course formats to incorporate flexible scheduling (so that students can enter in the middle of the year), and added online and self-paced coursework.

MDRC has worked with more than 10 community colleges over the last year and each has implemented some of these strategies in order to attract and retain low-wage students. Wavelet discussed two specific examples: Kingsborough and Lorain County Community Colleges. Lorain County Community College is implementing a test that offers: enhanced financial aid - a financial incentive of $150 per semester for two semesters to help cover costs such as books and course materials; and enhanced student services - they have added a new program coordinator and assembled a team of support staff to provide students with intensive and comprehensive services and, to help students navigate through the community college system. They have also developed an enhanced student orientation course.

Byron McClenney, President of Kingsborough Community College, spoke about some of the strategies his college is implementing to attract and retain low-wage students based on the MDRC research findings. Kingsborough is the only community college in Brooklyn, and it is the leading point of entry to higher education for that community. It serves a diverse, poor, and needy population of students who are amazingly dedicated and who must overcome enormous obstacles to succeed in college, said McClenney. Currently, Kingsborough is trying to increase student involvement in campus activities since students who are involved are more likely to complete their degrees. While the school has a high rate of student engagement relative to other colleges, only 20 percent of the student population is engaged. One technique the college has used to engage and personalize the education students receive is cohort grouping. Incoming students are grouped with 24 of their peers, and they all move through the program together. A team of support personnel is also available to counsel and assist these students. While the programs are relatively new, based on the preliminary evidence, McClenney believes that the college “will see dramatic results over the long term from this program.”

McClenney shared his concerns about the future of the nation. In New York City, only half of today’s ninth graders will make it to graduation. In Denver, less than half of those who enter ninth grade graduate. These high school age students are the community college students of the future and “we need to make an investment in these people for the health of the U.S.,” said McClenney. If we do not meet this huge need, we face an uncertain and scary future, he continued. We can make a huge difference to improve the community college experience for low-wage students, he said, through efforts such as those being implemented at Kingsborough.

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