Daily Lumina News 120920

Rural communities in the United States are as diverse as the geographies they represent. Yet, overall, rural learners experience greater disparities at each stage of the education-to-workforce pipeline relative to their urban and suburban peers.
A new project aims to help five rural community colleges find better ways to support their students and identify educational models that expand economic opportunities in their communities.

Enrollment slumps are presenting financial issues for community colleges, prompting concerns about the students who, for one reason or another, can’t afford to continue their education.
But there are also bright spots, college officials say, such as the growing popularity of short-term classes that condense the coursework of a full semester into a few weeks.

"Challenging" is an understatement when it comes to describing the fall semester for most colleges: canceled classes, dorm closures, COVID-19 outbreaks, and deaths. No one wants a repeat.
But a picture of successful campus containment has emerged in recent weeks: Maintain social distancing. Contact trace assiduously. Put more faith in students by calibrating restrictions properly.

Community colleges across California have made significant progress in increasing access to classes that award transferable credits to students, but dozens of colleges are still offering many non-credit remedial courses. And this irks critics who say those colleges are neglecting their responsibilities under a new state law.