Report: Community Colleges not preparing students for work force

Community Colleges might be good for some, but if they had no direction in high school where do they start in college? When I started high school I had to pick a major, now days from what I hear all the kids do is try to get through school to pass, they have no major direction of study. Then they get out in the world with no ideal of what they are going to do. Most important item on the list to get these young adult into the working world is their parents, if they have a good roll model most will be ok, if they have a lazy deadbeat on welfare all their life for a parent most not all will turn out the same living off the working class.

Historygeek, well said! A student is not going to benefit at any level of education if they do not put in the time and effort themselves also. As my grandmother always said, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.

If 'basic skills' is so important, doesn't that indicate a lack of preparation of the students by the lower grades of school? Why does everyone assume a community college can spend 2 or 3 years of time to overcome students' inadaquate preparation for college, as well as provide a true college education? How can community colleges overcome the apathy of students who are pushed into the CC system by parents and society, but don't want to be there? Students can be encouraged. They can be pleaded with. They can be begged. They can be cajoled. Yet students still have to actually be willing to work and try to improve. Most do want to. Yet the 'success rates' of colleges are brought down by those killing time and avoiding higher car insurance prices. Yes, there needs to be improvements in the community colleges. There is no disputing that. However, there needs to be a larger discussion about the lack of preparation many students have for any college course when they enter. It isn't as if the professors aren't trying. But the students have to be willing to work and have to possess the skills necessary for college success if they are going to succeed in college. The fact that the report identifies 'basic skills' as a need for the community college to focus on is actually an indicator that said students are getting through the K-12 system without those skills. Shouldn't we broaden the scope of the investigation of where to institute changes?