Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Watch Live

Education

California Community Colleges Want To Increase Graduation Rates

The Community College League of California wants to triple graduation rates in the next decade.

The Community College League of California is hoping to triple the graduation rates of community colleges by 2020, without spending more money.

The group has written a report outlining 17 ways community colleges could increase their graduation rates. League President Scott Lay said the goal is to make community college more structured.

Advertisement

“Having mandatory orientation sessions, mandatory assessments and guidance of students," Lay said. "These are some of the practice changes that in many colleges it’s already happening, our goal is to bring it to scale throughout the entire system.”

Lay said right now, many students drop out because they lack adequate guidelines. He hopes the changes will help close the achievement gap that is still common at community colleges.

He also said these changes would not require a lot of extra funding, which he doesn’t think the colleges would get anyway. The goal is to graduate a million more Californians from community colleges in 2020.

A big decision awaits some voters this April as the race for San Diego County’s Supervisor District 1 seat heats up. Are you ready to vote? Check out the KPBS Voter Hub to learn about the candidates, the key issues the board is facing and how you can make your voice heard.