Litow & Kelley: For Free Community College To Work, HS Students Must Be College-Ready. Some Programs That Can Make That Happen

Litow & Kelley: For Free Community College to Work, HS Students Must be College-Ready. Some Programs that Can Make that Happen

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The forthcoming proposal from the Biden administration aims to make community college accessible to all students without charge. This is a timely endeavor, given the conclusion of the pandemic and the emergence of new, well-paying job opportunities that predominantly require candidates to have postsecondary degrees.

While addressing the issue of college affordability is crucial, ensuring the success of the free college initiative hinges on the preparedness of enrolled students.

Presently, 60 percent of students in two-year colleges require remedial classes, which do not contribute towards their degrees, prove largely ineffective, and are costly for both students and institutions. As of 2012, spending on remediation for college students surpassed $7 billion, and less than half of remedial students manage to earn any college credit. Furthermore, less than 10 percent complete their degrees within the expected timeframe.

Research conducted by IBM at a community college in New York City revealed that students who needed remedial math in addition to another remedial class during their first semester had a mere 1 percent chance of successfully completing that semester.

The educational system’s racial and socioeconomic disparities are also apparent in college preparedness. The trends are distressingly familiar: 64 percent of white students, 75 percent of Latino students, and 78 percent of Black students require remedial classes. Additionally, completion rates are significantly lower for non-white and economically disadvantaged students. According to the U.S. Department of Education, approximately a quarter of high schools with the highest percentage of non-white students do not offer algebra 2, despite it being a requirement for most college-level courses.

However, there exist numerous approaches to equipping students with the necessary skills for college. One such model is P-TECH, or Pathways in Technology Early College High School, which combines efforts between a public high school, a community college, and a business partner to offer students a free associate degree in competitive fields, alongside access to "new collar" careers.

Since its establishment in 2011, P-TECH has expanded to 266 schools. P-TECH students exhibit higher rates of high school graduation, college readiness, and crucially, college completion compared to regular high school students. Due to the absence of admission screening, the majority of P-TECH students in the United States and other countries come from low-income backgrounds or belong to racial minority groups. They are more likely to be English language learners, enrolled in special education programs, or struggling academically in middle school. P-TECH students outperform their peers from similar backgrounds in regular schools, achieving higher grade point averages, and exhibiting significantly higher college completion rates.

In New York State, 95 percent of P-TECH students graduate from high school, surpassing the state average by 12 points. Most P-TECH students demonstrate college readiness during the early years of high school, and 80 percent of graduates proceed to four-year colleges and universities.

The fundamental components of P-TECH schools include setting high expectations, delivering rigorous coursework, providing support through tutoring and mentoring, and offering coordinated courses that directly lead to a competitive college degree. A business partner contributes mentorship opportunities, paid internships, and guarantees that successful graduates are given priority for available job openings.

The program’s costs, largely covered by the school district’s standard per-student budget, are minimal. The business partner provides mentors and funds paid internships, existing state funds cover planning expenses, and either high schools, colleges, or state sources cover the community college tuition. Since the program often extends to six years, including grades 13 and 14, some districts may have to bear the per-student costs for those two additional years, similar to students who take longer to complete traditional high school. However, many students finish the program in four years or even less. States that cover community college tuition costs for P-TECH students can witness a significant return on investment. Considering that college graduates earn 84 percent more over their lifetimes compared to individuals with only a high school diploma, P-TECH graduates will contribute substantially more in taxes and bolster the economy, while reducing the need for expensive social welfare programs.

Many community colleges have made the decision to discontinue offering remedial classes, opting instead to provide additional support such as tutoring and summer programs to incoming students who require an academic boost before tackling college-level coursework.

On a national level, it is essential to increase the availability of advanced coursework for every high school student, especially those who come from low-income backgrounds and are non-white. A study conducted by the late higher education researcher Clifford Adelman found that for Black and Latino students aiming to graduate from college, a "high school curriculum of high academic intensity and quality" has a more significant positive impact than any other factor. These efforts require greater support from both state and federal levels.

There are three key approaches to stimulate a broader expansion of the P-TECH model. Firstly, federal Pell grants, which provide financial aid to low-income college students, should be increased and extended to high school students taking college courses. This would enable more P-TECH schools to open and flourish. Currently, Pell grants were budgeted at $27 billion in 2019, which is lower than a decade earlier. Therefore, there is a need for an increase in funding and flexibility.

Secondly, the federal College Work Study Program should be expanded. This program pays approximately 70 percent of the wages for low-income students who work to earn tuition, typically in minimum-wage jobs on campus. Although the law permits these funds to be directed to off-campus internships, over 95 percent of these positions remain on campus. By increasing off-campus internships, partly subsidized by federal funds, companies may be encouraged to establish new partnerships with P-TECH, while making these internships credit-bearing could promote college completion. A greater allocation of Pell funding and an expanded Work Study Program can serve as catalysts for the growth of the P-TECH model and its ability to support students through challenging times.

Thirdly, it is imperative for governors across the political spectrum to adopt programs like P-TECH that ensure high school graduates are well-prepared for success in community college and beyond. Education is primarily the responsibility of states, and their commitment is crucial in implementing effective programs.

The national initiative for free community college represents a long-awaited opportunity for all. However, we risk squandering this potential if we fail to adequately prepare high school students with the highest quality education possible.

Stanley Litow, a professor at Duke and Columbia universities and innovator-in-residence at Duke, along with Tina Kelley, a former New York Times reporter and co-author of "Breaking Barriers: How P-TECH Schools Create a Pathway from High School to College to Career," urge for these measures to be taken.

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