What educators should know about college-for-all policies

A more thorough understanding of community college occupational programs might give districts, schools, teachers, and advisers the tools to help students make informed choices among all their options.

In recent years, the U.S. has adopted an ambitious college-for-all policy that aims for every high school graduate to complete a college credential. Our increasingly information- and technology-based society has made postsecondary education crucial to individual economic success so high school is now seen primarily as a mechanism to prepare students for postsecondary education. This policy has dramatically increased access to postsecondary education, encouraging many students to attend college who never would have in prior decades. But many of those students have gone to college with academic skills insufficient to complete a bachelor’s degree.

The oft-repeated college- and career-ready goal is vague and open to interpretation. Some of the most prominent interpretations support preparing students for careers by preparing them for the academic rigors of college.

Florida has taken a leading role in ensuring that students are college- and career-ready, which the state defines as having “the knowledge, skills, and academic preparation needed to enroll and succeed in introductory college credit-bearing courses within an associate or baccalaureate degree program without the need for remediation” (Florida Department of Education, 2015a). This notion of college-and career-readiness attempts to transform students who would ordinarily stop at a high school diploma into students who are ready for college. Although this is a noble goal, Florida still experiences high numbers of college dropouts, both at community colleges and four-year, degree-granting institutions. Our Florida research has found that K-12 teachers have doubts about the prevailing interpretation of college- and career-readiness. Teachers question whether most of their students can achieve that goal, and they’re eager for alternative postsecondary options for their low-achieving students.

In contrast, the CTE Technical Assistance Center of New York promotes college attendance but also stresses the importance of separate career preparation standards. These standards aim to give students preparation in three major skill areas: core academics, employability skills, and technical skills. Such preparation helps students transition seamlessly into a career and/or a postsecondary credentialing program (CTE Technical Assistance Center, 2012).

Many high schools and colleges do not publicize the diverse options of higher education, in part due to the traditional, narrow interpretation of college- and career-readiness.

But both conceptualizations of college- and career-readiness fail to capture the dizzying array of postsecondary options that community colleges offer. In particular, certificates and applied associate degrees, which students can complete relatively quickly in community colleges, receive little attention. Many high schools and colleges do not publicize the diverse options of higher education, in part due to the traditional, narrow interpretation of college- and career-readiness. Instead, high schools and colleges emphasize four-year degree plans, and primarily focus on boosting math and English achievement, possibly at the expense of developing other interests or abilities. Community college credentials, certificates and associate degrees can lead to significant labor-market benefits for low-income or low-achieving students, but educators are often unaware of these options.

Community college credentials

Analyzing a nationally representative survey of over 15,000 students in the class of 2004 and their outcomes eight years later (Rosenbaum et al., 2015), we found that 90% of on-time high school graduates manage to enroll in college within eight years of graduation. Of those, 37% enroll in a two-year college, usually a community college. Although 56% of two-year college entrants said they expected to earn a bachelor’s degree as seniors, only 20% had completed a bachelor’s by 2012. Expanding college success to include alternative credentials, we find that an additional 33% completed certificates or associate degrees. This means that more students who begin in two-year colleges will complete an alternative credential than a bachelor’s degree.

Still, 46% of two-year college students have no credential by age 26; they are college dropouts. The dominant interpretation of college- and career-readiness was not sufficient for these students. Their K-12 education focused on getting them into college; most aimed for a bachelor’s degree and failed to develop a backup or alternative plan. Research has demonstrated that young adults with some college but no credential do not have earnings or employment gains over high school graduates. A common response to community college failure is to strengthen academic remedial programs for students who test below college-ready standards. Extensive research has found that community college remedial courses do not, in general, increase student chances of college completion (Scott-Clayton & Rodriguez, 2012).

Extensive research has found that community college remedial courses do not, in general, increase student chances of college completion.

However, many studies show that certificates and associate degrees lead to better labor market outcomes than a high school diploma alone. Our analyses of the 2002 Educational Longitudinal Study (ELS) indicate that community college graduates earn 13% to 22% more, are over 50% more likely to be employed, and report significantly better nonmonetary job rewards (occupational variety, career advancement, etc.) than high school graduates. Although not all community college occupational programs lead to high earnings, on average their graduates fare better than college dropouts and high school graduates (Rosenbaum et al., 2015).

Additionally, and most relevant for college- and career-readiness, community college credentials do not always require high academic skills. Specifically, Tucker (2013) found that the level of mathematics needed in first-year community college career programs is at the level of middle school mathematics; most career programs require neither Algebra II nor text analysis. Moreover, certificate programs often do not require college-level math or English placement exams, making them more accessible to students with low academic achievement. We also found that in ELS respondents low achievement and low socioeconomic status do not preclude certificate or associate degree completion.

By escaping the strict academic requirements emphasized by the dominant college- and career-readiness rhetoric, certificates and associate degrees are attainable by many students and are highly rewarding alternatives to four-year bachelor’s degrees. Community colleges provide good, attainable options to students who enter with low academic skills. They also do not preclude individuals from going on to attain higher degrees. Of those who earn a certificate, about 25% go on to complete an associate or bachelor’s degree, and 17% of bachelor’s degree graduates have previously earned an associate degree (Carnevale et al., 2012).

Ironically, our study found that students who reported they had achieved “some college” but failed to earn credentials had advantages — higher test scores and socioeconomic backgrounds — over students who completed certificates or associate degrees. As high school seniors, they also were more likely to report that they expected to earn four-year degrees, and 85% maintained those expectations two years after graduation. This suggests that, if they had pursued a community college credential, they might have achieved greater academic and early economic success. High schools that frame college- and career-readiness solely in terms of four-year degrees may prevent such students from considering valuable and attainable alternative credentials.

Teacher knowledge

Because the labor market demand for certificates and associate degrees has grown in recent years, most people are poorly informed about their value. However, these credentials may be exactly what teachers want for their low-performing students. Analyses of a 2013 survey of 109 Florida teachers indicated that teachers are not satisfied with their state’s definition of college-and career-readiness, and want their schools to offer career guidance for all students, particularly those who are disengaged (Mokher et al., 2014). Probably because these teachers doubt that their students can complete a bachelor’s degree (only 21% believe most of their students can), they were eager to provide students with a message about good careers that don’t require high math and English achievement. Teachers see student disinterest and low achievement in academic subjects and believe those students won’t succeed in college.

However, the survey also indicated that many teachers don’t know much about community colleges’ credential options or their requirements. Most teachers in this survey said they believe most of their students cannot earn one of these college credentials. Some teachers said students would benefit from technical training for jobs like auto mechanic or skilled manufacturing, but they don’t seem to realize that community colleges offer occupational programs in these fields. If educators were better informed on the variety of college options and their requirements, they could provide specific information to help students become college- and career-ready via alternative credentials.

CTE teachers as advisers

Obviously, teachers are not college advisers but, with high counselor-student ratios, counselors cannot provide detailed, personalized advice to students. Although teachers may have difficulty learning about occupational programs in community colleges, one group of high school faculty might be better informed — those who teach career and technical education (CTE) programs. CTE programs provide students with in-depth training in a specific occupational field, such as medical assisting or machine technology. Often, these programs feed directly into related community college occupational programs. High school CTE programs typically span 10th to 12th grades, and students often have the same teacher for all three years, with double or sometimes even triple periods in the senior year.

We recently conducted in-depth interviews with 23 CTE teachers in a large urban school district and found that, for many teachers, their extended time with students facilitates strong relationships. As one teacher said, “One of the positives of having a four-year program is that you get to have a different kind of relationship with them, so we spend a lot of time talking about (students’ postsecondary plans).” Some teachers talk to students about college every day, and one even incorporated career exploration into her curriculum. These teachers are concerned about students’ futures, and they do their best to give valuable, trusted guidance. Unfortunately, many of these CTE teachers know little about community college occupational programs.

Because the labor market demand for certificates and associate degrees has grown in recent years, most people are poorly informed about their value.

Like many school districts, this district supports college for all but does not provide specific information about occupational programs in community colleges. One of the advantages of CTE teachers’ industry experience is that they understand their occupational field. They know what it takes to be a construction worker, a digital media consultant, or an electrician. Some maintain industry contacts and connect students to employment opportunities, and others work closely with local college programs to create dual-enrollment opportunities.

Yet many more CTE teachers are poorly informed about community college occupational programs, sometimes even in their own fields. One digital media teacher said he would definitely be interested in seeing some postsecondary programs in digital media from community colleges, even though there were multiple such programs at the time. Another auto mechanic instructor said he encourages students to attend a nearby for-profit, two-year college (tuition $27,000), rather than a low-cost program in a local community college (tuition $3,000). These teachers want to advise students, but they lack crucial information that would help those who want to continue their CTE training.

However, CTE teachers usually report that most students are not committed to their CTE career pathways. For those students, teachers tend to talk about the existence of various programs but not the details. For example, one culinary arts teacher said his students might “do well in . . . anything that has to do with the service industry” but offers no more specifics. Like the Florida teachers, CTE teachers talk vaguely about vocational or trades programs. Some even admit that they are not properly educated to inform students about the benefits of community college credentials. Even though they teach programs with a career emphasis, CTE teachers do not have specific information about new but important community college occupational programs. Again, a more thorough understanding of community college occupational programs might give districts, schools, teachers, and advisers the tools to help students make informed choices among all their options.

Why the knowledge gap?

Both Florida and CTE teachers report simply being too overwhelmed with their jobs to obtain information about postsecondary programs. One recently hired CTE teacher even says that going to the community college to learn about the local digital media programs is on his to-do list. This information isn’t easy to obtain. College web sites indicate the existence of programs but are rarely clear about academic prerequisites, timetables, credential completion, or job outcomes. The urban school district we studied didn’t provide teachers with data about their schools’ graduates. So teachers rely on impressions formed through a patchwork of sources, a few former students, their own experiences, or news media reports. Such information, though valuable, is not representative nor does it reflect the many misunderstood or rarely seen options in colleges.

Florida has provided a valuable resource to aid in this process: http://smart-college-choices.com. This web site provides information about graduates of community college occupational programs, including continuing education, employment rates, and earnings. However, it does not include information about completion rates or program requirements.

Reducing the knowledge gap

Our analyses of the ELS national survey can provide educators with an overview of college options, requirements, completion, and job outcomes for certificates and associate degrees. For this purpose, we offer a concluding fact sheet intended to help educators advise students about their potential for success in various postsecondary credentials and as a way of expanding the currently narrow definition of college- and career-readiness. This fact sheet does not cover all options and does not provide advice for specific students, but it does provide an overview of the current college landscape, information that we have found to be lacking.

FACT SHEET

Enrollment

Nearly all high school graduates attend college. 90% of on-time high school graduates will enroll in college within eight years of graduating from high school. About 75% of students in the bottom third of test scores or socioeconomic backgrounds will do so.
37% of first-time college students choose two-year colleges, including 61% of students in the bottom third of 10th-grade test scores and 51% of students in the bottom third of socioeconomic status.

Completion

Despite the emphasis on four-year degrees, only 20% of two-year college students completed a bachelor’s degree within eight years of high school graduation.
Of those who initially enroll in a two-year college, 33% complete a certificate or associate degree, but 46% leave with no credential.

Continuing education

Community college credentials can be combined with higher degrees. Of those who complete a certificate, about 25% later earn a degree, and 17% of four-year graduates attained an associate degree first (Carnevale et al., 2012).

Employment and earnings comparison at age 26

Certificate completers have 50% higher odds of being employed, and associate degree graduates have double the odds compared to high school graduates. Attending college without completing a credential does not increase odds of employment compared to high school graduates.
Certificate completers have 13% higher earnings, and associate degree graduates have 22% higher earnings than high school graduates at age 26. Attending college without completing a credential has no earnings payoff.

References

Carnevale, A.P., Jayasundera, T., & Hanson, A.R. (2012). Career and technical education: Five ways that pay along the way to the BA. Washington, DC: Georgetown Public Policy Institute Center for Education and the Workforce.

CTE Technical Assistance Center of New York. (2012). New York state high school graduates: What does it mean to be college- and career-ready?

Florida Department of Education. (2015a). College- and career-readiness.

Florida Department of Education. (2015b). Florida college choices. www.smart-college-choices.com

Mokher, C., Jacobson, L,, Ahearn, C., Atkin, J., Flory, M., Lansing, J., Pearson, J., Rosenbaum, J., & Sun, C. (2014). Assessment of the Florida college- and career-readiness initiative: Year 2 report. Arlington, VA: CNA Corporation.

Rosenbaum, J., Ahearn, C., Becker, K., & Rosenbaum, J. (2015). The new forgotten half and research directions to support them. New York, NY: William T. Grant Foundation. http://bit.ly/1QwaQZa

Scott-Clayton, J. & Rodriguez, O. (2012). Development, discouragement, or diversion? New evidence on the effects of college remediation. NBER Working Paper No. 18238. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research. www.nber.org/papers/w18328

Tucker, M. (2013). What does it really mean to be college and work ready? The mathematics and English literacy required of first-year community college students. Washington, DC: National Center on Education and the Economy.

Citation: Ahearn, C., Rosenbaum, J., & Rosenbaum, J. (2016). What educators should know about college-for-all policies. Phi Delta Kappan, 97 (5), 49-54.