The Challenge

For the first time in U.S. history, the current generation of college-age Americans will be less educated than their parents’ generation, yet our workplaces require higher-level skills than ever before. A healthy economy and democracy depend upon an educated citizenry, and increasingly, because of rapidly changing demographics and record levels of poverty, that means creating the conditions for more low-income students and students of color to attain postsecondary credentials.  

Community colleges are a vital component in returning the U.S. to its place as a global leader in higher education degree attainment, however, fewer than half of all students who enter community college with the goal of earning a certificate or degree have met their goal six years later. And those numbers are much worse for low-income students and students of color. More than just their hopes and dreams are at stake: the very foundation of our economy depends on increasing student success.