College of Education News

Community Colleges Provide Opportunities for Underserved

November 5, 2009

By Ros Dumlao

She dropped out of high school when she was 17 and moved from her home in Florida to Champaign to work as a nanny for her sister. But now Brittany Clark, 22, is back in school with hopes of pursuing a university degree.

Clark is just one of many underserved students banking on a community college en route to a four-year university. While the economy may make community colleges seem like a leeway for an affordable education, the colleges also serve as a vital step for underserved students seeking that university pathway.

"There are students who didn't prepare to go to college, and (part of) a community college's mission is to serve those students," said Debra Bragg, a research professor in the College of Education.

Given their mission statements, many colleges are aware of their underserved populations, which includes low-income, minority, first-generation, immigrant and mostly students who "have any kind of disadvantage that makes it hard for them to participate in a way comparable to their peers," according to Bragg.

As a result, community colleges provide numerous support services geared towards guiding these students through various situations, including career development, career placement, case managers, financial aide services and peer mentoring.

"The students need more help understanding just what college is about," Bragg said. "Understanding how to study, what the standards are."

For Clark, who is attending Parkland Community College, getting back into the habit of studying after a nearly five-year drought from school has been challenging.

"I doubt myself," said Clark, as she struggles with her English 101 paper. "It's been so long since I've done any school work that I think I'm doing it wrong. Finding the right way to do it or thinking the right way, that's the only challenge I have."

Marietta Turner, Dean of Students at Parkland, said that the college is aware of its underserved students' needs; recent topic that has been addressed in its Developmental Education Counsel meeting, which meets once a month.

"Students don't always know what questions to ask, so we understand that we have to be patient with them," Turner said. "We have to teach them how to ask the right questions and guide them through the process in navigating the bureaucracy."

The availability of support services is one quality of community colleges, while its teaching method is another.

"Community colleges provide instructors who are knowledgeable about how to teach students who struggled in school," Bragg said. "They really understand the various instructional strategies that might be effective with students."

In addition to a unique teaching style, the convenience of community college locations and schedules, namely night-classes, allow flexibility for the needs of the students looking to transition to a university setting.

"A lot of students live at home, so they don't leave the family's support structure," Bragg said. "In a good situation, students still have their family's support, and that separation could be a big transition for students too."

While critics may argue against underserved students using community college as a transition into a four-year university, Bragg said it is the best option for these students.

"People claim that students aren't able to be successful there, that they don't retain their students, that they're not as highly qualified as other higher education institutions," Bragg said, adding. "They don't, in my view, offer many feasible alternatives. If you don't want them to go there, were else do you want them to go?"

For more information about the College of Education, contact our Communications Office at 217-244-8335 or email communications@education.illinois.edu