The value of community colleges in American education has been overlooked for far too long. Considered by some the “stepchild” of the American education system, the role of community colleges, particularly as a legitimate pathway to STEM jobs and four-year and post-graduate STEM degrees, has been underappreciated by many, including those in higher education.
But that is changing.
Certainly, Dr. Jill Biden has helped raise the national profile of community colleges. In her role as adjunct professor of English at Northern Virginia Community College and as the lead organizer of a 2010 White House summit on community colleges, she has worked to shine a light on how these institutions play a vital and unique role in the life of local communities across the U.S.
Now comes a new report from the National Academy of Sciences that continues the focus. “Community Colleges in the Evolving STEM Education Landscape: Summary of a Summit” is a recap of a one-day summit convened recently by the National Research Council, the Carnegie Academy for Science Education, a part of the Carnegie Institution for Science, and the National Science Foundation.
According to the report, some 1,200 community colleges in the U.S. enroll more than 8 million students annually, including 43 percent of all undergraduates. Community colleges are particularly important in the academic life of minority students.
In fact, minorities who are underrepresented in STEM fields, but who represent the country’s STEM future, are disproportionately enrolled in them. Fifty-two percent of Hispanic, 44 percent of African-American, 55 percent of American Indians and 45 percent of Asian-Pacific Islander students attend community colleges.
In addition to providing general education, many community college courses develop the kind of essential technical skills upon which economic development and innovation are based. Indeed, a range of STEM industries from biotechnology and defense to computer science and environmental protection rely on those who have attended a two-year college or technical/vocational school.
