It is 9 a.m. sharp, and the 42nd commencement of the Community College of Aurora is about to commence. This year, the institution is conferring its largest number of degrees and certificates in the college’s…
The Pell Grant remains the best way to help low-income students afford college, and it’s especially important for community college students eager to learn and earn. Every year, 30% of all Pell Grant recipients attend…
The urgency behind getting community and technical colleges involved is measurable and accelerating. The Learning Policy Institute in 2026 identified the teacher shortage problem in the United States: 45,582 unfilled positions nationwide 365,967 positions filled…
The Education Department this week released new draft regulations in advance of next week’s second and final week-long accreditation negotiated-rulemaking sessions. Most of the regulations are unchanged, such as new requirements related to the monitoring…
In recent years, community college leaders have been asked to rethink how student success is defined and measured. Accountability is increasingly tied not only to enrollment and credential completion, but to longer-term outcomes such as…
My path through higher education was not linear. As a first-generation college student, college was always something I had to fit around life’s many other demands. I completed my bachelor’s degree only to find myself winding…
The Canvas breach didn’t fail because hackers got lucky. It failed because the architecture made it inevitable, and the standard response — patch, harden, audit, repeat — will produce the next breach on the same…
In spring 2026, Illinois is preparing legislation (HB 5319/SB 4034) that will authorize community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees in high-demand applied fields. Supported by Gov. JB Pritzker, the initiative aims to address workforce shortages…
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is once again under pressure from the Trump administration as it proposes severe cuts for the agency and makes other moves to reduce its independence. So far, Congress has resisted…
The RP Group last fall released the most comprehensive study of African American and Black community college transfer in California history. More than 7,000 students. One hundred sixteen colleges. Three phases of research funded by…