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COMMUNITY COLLEGES & THE SHARING OF THE

AMERICAN DREAMAmerican Association of Community Colleges

10th June 2019

Richard V. Reeves, Brookings Institution

@richardvreeves

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Distribution of 529 holders

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We are the 99%!

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Or not?...

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Separation also in…

• Family structure and stability• Health• Wealth• Life expectancy• Culture & social capital• Neighborhoods• Education…

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Education: The Great Equalizer

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The leveling power of college…

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But 4-year+ biggest pay bump

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The ROI on college…

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But….

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Stickiness of….education

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Big Class Gaps in College Going

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46%

28%

22%

27%

38%

43%

50%47%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

All first-time enrollees Under 100% povertythreshold

Neither parent finished highschool

First-generation

4-year public orprivate nonprofit

2-year public

Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2011-12 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study, First Follow-up (BPS:12/14).

Community Colleges: serving those in need

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Community college for the middle class

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Increasingly so over time..

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Transfer rates vary by state

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Williams’ Warrior Society

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Williams’ Warrior Society“The reformers protest that equality of opportunity has not really been achieved; the wealthy reply that in fact it has, and that the poor now have the opportunity of becoming warriors - it is just bad luck that their characteristics are such that they do not pass the test. ‘We are not’, they might say, ‘excluding anyone for being poor, we exclude people for being weak, and it is unfortunate that those who are poor are also weak’.” – Bernard Williams

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America’s Test-Taker Society“The reformers protest that equality of opportunity has not really been achieved; the wealthy reply that in fact it has, and that the poor now have the opportunity of getting good college educations - it is just bad luck that their characteristics are such that they do not pass the test. ‘We are not’, they might say, ‘excluding anyone for being poor, we exclude people for being dumb, and it is unfortunate that those who are poor are also dumb’.” – Bernard Williams (adapted!)

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Conclusions

• Higher education can act to magnify or mitigate class inequality

• Community colleges are vital for upward mobility into the middle class

• Improving flexibility and movement within the system is vital

• The myth of meritocracy is dampening efforts for equitable reform

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@richardvreeves

rreeves@brookings.edu