by James C. Sherlock
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. Continue reading