Slightly fewer Chicago students enrolled in four-year colleges and universities last fall despite the pandemic s pressures but two-year institutions saw a troubling dip in both new arrivals and in students returning for their second year on campus.
A new report from the University of Chicago s Consortium on School Research shows that declines in community college enrollment and retention were steeper here than nationally and affected Black and Latino students more than their peers. The data also shows that Chicago Public Schools students enrollment in four-year institutions largely held steady and retention improved across racial groups even amid the pandemic s upheaval. Some local institutions saw enrollment gains of 30% or more increases the study attributes to decisive steps campuses took to support first-generation and low-income students amid the disruption.
National enrollment at community colleges has declined by about 10 percent during the pandemic, far outstripping the drop in overall college enrollment. Some community colleges in poorer communities have lost as much as 20 percent of their student body.
Jill Biden, the first lady, is a community college professor and has long been a proponent of increased funding for community colleges and has been promoting the idea in visits around the country.
While generally consistent with Mr. Biden’s campaign blueprint, the proposal omits any reference to erasing college debt, a move promoted by a number of congressional Democrats, some who want to forgive $50,000 in federal student loans for many borrowers. The president had partially endorsed the idea during last year’s presidential campaign, proposing $10,000 in loan forgiveness.
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You might be surprised to learn that encouraging people to get the COVID-19 vaccine actually starts with your ears.
As with most issues, people want to be heard. When I reach out to people about the COVID-19 vaccine and they tell me they are not planning to take it or they are going to wait, I always start with “Tell me more about that…Let’s talk a bit more…” What I am finding is if you meet people where they are, and then listen, you often can find the kernel of their truth from which you can empathize, educate and hopefully convert.
Latest coronavirus news for April 26, 2021: Live updates suntimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from suntimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Community colleges across Illinois are cautiously optimistic they will be able to bring back students for in-person classes this fall.
And while a few four-year schools in the Chicago area including Loyola University Chicago, Columbia College and DePaul University have announced that students will be required to be vaccinated before returning to campus, most community colleges do not plan to make vaccines mandatory.
After more than a year of nearly all remote coursework, most community colleges said they plan to offer classes four different ways this fall: fully in-person; a hybrid format involving a combination of both in-person and online instruction; virtual classes that involve online synchronous meetings; and fully asynchronous, online classes.