by James C. Sherlock
Image credit: Lumenlearning
I received a note from Peter Blake, director of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), in reference to my column on that program in early July.
He thanked, as do I, readers for their interest and supportive comments.
We agree with you that (Community College Guaranteed Admissions and Credits) are one of the most effective ways to expand access, improve retention and completion, and make college more affordable.
We (SCHEV) talk about it regularly in our various reports and recommendations.
We have a standing item in our annual tuition and fees report that calculates how much a student can save by following a pathway that goes through a community college.
For years, we have worked on improving systems that guarantee not only admission but also acceptance of community college credits toward a bachelor’s degree.
We could always do more outreach, so we appreciate your interest in the subject and the positive response you received from your readers.
It is important that the state offers a way to mitigate substandard K-12 educations. Virginia does that very well as far as I can tell.
It is important to spread the word.
But the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) cannot replace fully the lack of a solid grounding in life and academics in K-12.
Bottom line. The VCCS is a godsend. More students attend those institutions than attend all of Virginia’s public 4-year colleges and universities combined.
The public K-12 schools must do far better in providing a basic education and instilling a sense of worth and self-respect in poor kids, whether or not they have good support at home.
There are two thing that they must get right.
- Enforce attendance. We don’t need new laws against truancy, just to enforce the ones we have;
- Provide a baseline of order, discipline and safety at school. Enforce that, too. Then teaching has a chance.
If school divisions are not willing to do that — enforce attendance and good order — then nothing will work.
If some refuse to do it, then they forfeit the right to force kids to use their schools. Offer parents vouchers to find alternatives. They can use them anywhere, including their kids’ current schools.
Kids who want to learn will do far better if there is true competition to educate them.
We can and should create it.
