The United States must work harder and faster to educate enough college graduates to satisfy future workforce demands. Community colleges, which serve 46 percent of the nation's undergraduates, play a vital role in this effort. The following reports offer research and information to help promote success for community college students.

From community college to a bachelor's degree
Community colleges represent a postsecondary access point for many of America's most underserved student populations, including minorities, first-generation and low-income students. These students are more likely to be affected by political and economic changes, according to a report from the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance. Transition Matters: Community College to Bachelor's Degree offers recommendations to strengthen the community college pathway, helping students overcome barriers to enrollment, persistence and transferring.

The impact of learning communities on student success
Early success in college is a key predictor of degree attainment. Research suggests that learning communities-in which students are placed in one cohort across classes-can help maximize student success and retention. MDRC's working paper, The Learning Communities Demonstration: Rationale, Sites, and Research Design , examines learning community models at six community colleges in five states and describes their unique strategies to help students succeed.

Federal aid and California's community college students
For many students and families, financial aid is a key engine of access to higher education opportunities. A report from MPR Associates and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation finds that as many as 140,000 California community college students may be missing out on up to $220 million in federal financial aid. Financial Aid at California Community Colleges: Pell Grants and Fee Waivers in 2003-04 shows that some 40,000 students who would likely qualify for a Pell Grant do not apply for one.

Examining graduation and persistence rates
National research shows persistence and college graduation rates are significantly lower for minority and low-income students. An analysis from the Achieving the Dream (AtD) initiative examines strategies developed by AtD institutions to increase the success of at-risk students. In many cases, colleges serving large populations of at-risk students showed better results among these students than did comparison colleges.

Higher education path rocky for community college students
Community colleges enroll more than 11.5 million students-nearly half of all undergraduates. Yet, many community college students fail to reach their higher education goals. Preliminary results of the Survey of Entering Student Engagement suggest that if more community college students collaborate with each other to tackle course requirements and get support from financial aid and advising services, retention and degree completion rates may improve.

Lumina Foundation supports state policy organizations, initiatives and research that promote student success in postsecondary education. The following reports can inform policymakers as they create sound policies and practices that will lead to a strong U.S. workforce, a high standard of living and a better quality of life for the nation's citizens.

Beyond borders: Lessons from Europe
Europe's emphasis on student learning outcomes has led to positive policy changes that mirror many of the accountability and access challenges in the United States. The Bologna Club: What U.S. Higher Education Can Learn from a Decade of European Reconstruction, from the Institute for Higher Education Policy, examines the shift from college credits based on student contact hours with professors to credits that consider course difficulty, students' work and rigor of classroom instruction.

Improving the education pipeline: Think P-16
State-level P-16 councils have emerged as a key change agent in bridging the gap between pre-collegiate and higher education. Diplomas Count 2008 - School to College: Can State P-16 Councils Ease the Transition? from Education Week explores the challenges facing P-16 councils and provides recommendations on opportunities for improvement. A total of 38 states now have at least one P-16 council, up from 25 in 2000.

Impact of dual enrollment programs on at-risk students
Dual enrollment programs, in which high school students enroll in college courses and earn college credits, may help expand higher education opportunities for students who are considered at risk of not going to college, according to a report by Jobs for the Future. On Ramp to College: A State Policymaker's Guide to Dual Enrollment highlights statewide dual enrollment efforts and provides a step-by-step plan for policymakers to create programs and assess their current approaches.

Higher education's role in ensuring nation's health
As globalization continues to drive U.S. workforce changes, the need for more college-educated citizens has never been greater. A special report, Engaging Higher Education in Societal Challenges of the 21st Century, from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, calls on postsecondary institutions to re-examine their policies and priorities and develop standards that can assess how well they are meeting the needs of communities and the 21st century workplace.

The growing spending imbalance in higher education
A new report by the Delta Project suggests that colleges and universities spend only a fraction of their budgets on efforts that support direct instructional costs of students. The study, The Growing Imbalance: Recent trends in U.S. postsecondary education finance, examines spending patterns at several types of institutions and finds gaps among institutional sectors and items receiving financial support.

Improving learning outcomes for adult learners
Better jobs and a higher standard of living depend on an educated workforce. Yet in 35 states, more than 60 percent of the adult population has not completed an associate's degree or higher. Adult Learning in Focus: National and State-by-State Data by The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning examines how states compare in educating adult learners and offers insight to help policy, business and education leaders better understand working adults' specific needs and requirements.

College opportunity gaps more prevalent in Michigan
A college degree is an economic boost to individuals and society. This fact is underscored in the state of Michigan, which has a higher-than-average rate of unemployment and faces continual declines in its primary commercial industries. A new study, Higher Education in Michigan: Overcoming Challenges to Expand Access, from the Institute for Higher Education Policy and with support from the Kellogg Foundation , examines college access issues and offers recommendations to increase educational attainment for Michigan residents and enhance the state's economy.

The more you learn, the more you earn
Young adults with a bachelor's degree earned nearly $16,000 more in 2006 than individuals with a high school diploma and more than twice that much than those who had not finished high school. See more developments and trends in education from the National Center for Education Statistics' Condition of Education 2008 report.