A House bill to improve graduation rates at community colleges would aim to replicate across the country a successful City University of New York (CUNY) program.
U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-New York) last week re-introduced the Community College Student Success Act, which would scale up CUNY’s highly regarded Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP). ASAP largely focus on support services to help community college students succeed. A few states such as Ohio already have adopted a version of the program.
Meng noted in a press release that community college students comprise more than 40 percent of all U.S. undergraduates. However, many public two-year colleges are under-resourced, and their students often face challenges in completing credentials for a myriad of reasons.
“If Congress truly values the importance of educating our next generation, we must increase our investment in these colleges and the students they serve,” she said. “Everybody deserves a quality education, no matter their background, because education is a civil right.”