You might be interested in the release of a couple of reports on community colleges and a news article on the budget situation in California and how community colleges are affected.

OPEN-DOOR POLICIES AT TWO-YEAR COLLEGES FACE THREAT, REPORT SAYS
The nation’s college-completion agenda may be threatening open-door admissions policies at two-year institutions, says a report released by the American Association of Community Colleges. The organization is concerned that colleges may become more selective in admissions in an attempt to meet graduation goals, and will therefore limit college access for disadvantaged students. Community colleges are known for their open-door policies, which allow all types of students to enroll. The information is from The Chronicle of Higher Education.
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ACCELERATING COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS’ ENTRY INTO AND COMPLETION OF PROGRAMS OF STUDY
In this updated paper, originally released by the Community College Research Center in April 2011, Davis Jenkins and Sung-Woo Cho argue that to improve completion rates on a substantial scale, community colleges must ensure that new students enter a coherent college-level program of study as soon as possible. It presents a simple method for measuring program entry and completion rates using data on students’ actual course-taking behaviors rather than declared major or intent. The paper offers research-based suggestions for ways community colleges can rethink their practices at key stages of the student experience to accelerate program entry and completion.
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PROPOSAL WILL HURT COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS
The Institute for College Success posted that the dramatic changes proposed by California Governor Jerry Brown would lock out more than a third of applicants currently eligible for entitlement grants. These are students who have worked hard and earned the grades that the state has long promised entitled them to participate in California’s primary student aid program. These are also the students, research shows, for whom financial aid may make the biggest difference in terms of helping them persist and succeed in college. As they finally reach the point where they are ready to go to college, many will find their dreams shattered. Three out of four applicants cut out would be prospective Cal Grant B students, who on average have family incomes well below the poverty line. And the majority of these students go to community colleges, where students receive too little aid and already less likely to receive state grants.
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