Great to see the Washington Post run an opinion piece about the vital role played by community colleges in America. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/05/02/community-college-saved-my-life/?fbclid=IwAR1jNRdLk9ZJR0-TflrbMLPSsjwGOgPGfOt8xqUVhOvMYHrDajfRPxVb6ck Writer Jen Balderama speaks from personal experience in this powerful article (for days it’s been one of the WaPo’s most popular opinion pieces). This one-time cc student’s career speaks for itself. At the top … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—That Resource We Underestimate
TURNING POINTS—And Open Admissions
Three years ago, Wild River Books launched Open Admissions: What Teaching at Community College Taught Me About Learning at Philadelphia’s historic Mermaid Inn, home to my own Sacred CowBoys and numerous other Philly-based performers. The occasionally raucous event featured a conversation with Community College of Philadelphia Vice President Judith Gay and me about the importance … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—And Open Admissions
TURNING POINTS—On the Path to a COVID Vaccine and to a Career
The learning process implies change. Once we’ve learned something, we aren’t quite the same person anymore, whether we’ve learned how to solve an equation, play tennis, make a vinaigrette, change a flat tire, or speak a second language. A recent article in the Philadelphia Inquirer tells the story of immigrant Yaya Dia, who now plays … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—On the Path to a COVID Vaccine and to a Career
TURNING POINTS—America’s Greatest Economic/Educational Counter to The COVID Recession Is Its Community Colleges
COVID-19 has changed the work and employment landscape in the US and elsewhere, but our network of community colleges may provide the resource we need to re-train displaced workers and to enable degree-seeking students a chance to take valuable steps toward their goal. Last week, reader Rich Conti steered the Turning Points conversation toward David … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—America’s Greatest Economic/Educational Counter to The COVID Recession Is Its Community Colleges
TURNING POINTS—COVID Not What America’s Most Vulnerable College Students Need
COVID-19 has changed life as we know it this year—and mostly in very undesirable ways. That statement might be one of the few things about which Americans can agree this year. The virus has provided a turning point for millions of people, launching us onto unexpected paths that--for some--involve only inconvenience, isolation, and anxiety--but for … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—COVID Not What America’s Most Vulnerable College Students Need
TURNING POINTS—Help the Colleges That Need Help
With billions of dollars already benefiting wealthy universities, you can help level the playing field for the institutions that serve most nontraditional students. The Elite Schools Don’t Need Your Money They’re loaded. If you graduated from Stanford, Harvard, University of Chicago, or the like, you and your fellow alumni have endowed your alma mater very … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—Help the Colleges That Need Help
OPEN ADMISSIONS: Picking Up the Pieces
Our mistakes do not have to define us. They may well limit our futures, but here is a story about a man who has changed his life while in prison. https://portlandphoenix.me/degree-of-difficulty/?fbclid=IwAR1JtIlkC9RMP8OcG3wGLmGistSDmOsq0RGsnZUs0BIhk7-BgPynLmTpRm0 Brandon Brown's crime affected many individuals in harmful ways, for sure. But his story did not end there. The ripple effect of his profound … Continue reading OPEN ADMISSIONS: Picking Up the Pieces
TURNING POINTS—Fostering Persistence
Last year, I was fortunate to speak with faculty at Maryland’s Howard Community College about OPEN ADMISSIONS and the mission of teaching nontraditional students. HCC President Kate Hetherington’s praise for the book meant a lot to me, as did her invitation to address the faculty then to work with a small faculty group. I was … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—Fostering Persistence
TURNING POINTS—Thanks Should Be Given Daily, But Posts Can Be Shared Less Frequently
Stigmas can change, as last week’s post suggested. I’ve seen that happen since I walked in the doors of a community college as a freshman, since I walked out of the same college’s doors after 38 years of counseling and teaching, and since the publication of a book that sings the praises of nontraditional students … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—Thanks Should Be Given Daily, But Posts Can Be Shared Less Frequently
TURNING POINTS—Smart First Steps in Higher Education
Slowly but surely, stigmas about community college are being replaced by accurate (and positive) perspectives. Just ask admissions staff at Ivy League and other top tier schools about community colleges. In a recent New York Times article, Laura Pappano cites Williams College, Brown University, and Muhlenberg College as selective schools that are finding community college … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—Smart First Steps in Higher Education
Ned Bachus 