Community college the unfinished revolution

Public two-year community colleges have recorded a low degree-completion rates, and serious deficiencies in how they operate are limiting their value. Community colleges have grown enormously with the enrollment of nearly half of all college students and providing access for new groups of disadvantaged students. Both public and private four-year colleges draw from the upper end of the grade-point average distribution, whereas public and private two-year colleges enroll more students with lower grades. Students' predicted propensity to attend public four-year colleges overlaps little with that for public two-year colleges. Although students are assumed to be highly motivated, it has been found that student efforts often depend on external incentives. Community college students are required to anticipate possible competing obligations over a 14-week semester, private two-year colleges compress class hours into eight-week terms.