Are Community Colleges - a Joke? Doesn't the American Dream begin with the personal possession of marketable skills? If we eliminate professional athletes and actors on the big and small screen, a college degree is the first-step to life beyond the minimum- wage.
What happens when the dream is struck across the face by reality? Does hard work, a positive-attitude, and powerful expectations - overcome a lack of core preparation for college-level studies? Community College Statistics Facts: a) there are over 1,200 community colleges in the U.
S.
b)11.
6 million attending Community Colleges.
c)40% are enrolled full-time, 60% - part-time.
d)Community-College students account for 45% of all U.
S.
undergrads.
e)59% are women.
f)average annual tuition is $2,191.
g)486,000 graduate annually with Associate Degrees; 235,00 annually receive two-year certificates.
The Five Hottest CC Programs 1.
Registered Nurse 2.
Law enforcement 3.
Licensed Practical Nurse.
4.
Radiology 5.
Computer Technologist NY Times Almost 50% of all students entering four-year, two-year, and community college - require remedial assistance in reading, math, and science.
Certainly, they have high school diplomas, but they are unprepared for college-level studies.
They yearn for a career that will permit them to enter the middle-class, but they lack the learning-skills.
In academia they play the Blame-Game.
Is it the fault of the 3rd grade teacher, elementary school or high school? How much time does the entering student have to play catch-up before he/she becomes a drop-out statistic? Shocking 73% of students entering community colleges expect to attend four-year schools and receive their diploma.
Get this - only 22% finish the last two-years - after six-years.
See: Michael W.
Kirst, professor, Stanford University, author of the research.
Doom and Gloom Approximately 50% of entering college freshmen will never receive their degree.
Wait - it gets worse.
Almost 75% of community college graduates are functionally illiterate - they cannot balance a checkbook, figure out the comparative costs of the food they purchase - per ounce, and cannot follow the arguments in politics or the implications of what they read or view on TV.
See: Pew Charitable Trust, 2006 Get-Outta-Here! Would you believe students could graduate college without ever reading one book, cover-to-cover? In life after school, and in their career - they will read summaries, and listen to reviews, and still never read books.
See: the U.
S.
publishing industry.
Is there an exception? Late-starters - students who find a mentor or instructor who turns them on to the fun of learning.
It can happen at anytime; in or out of the school system, or by apprenticeship in a trade or profession.
How can parents help their kids prepare for the requirements of higher education? Here's our list of required skills to make it in school and career in the 21st century: a)Reading at a minimum of 600 words per minute, which is 3x that of average college graduates in the U.
S.
b)Memorizing at double the average college graduate because your long-term memory is the basis of comprehension and learning.
c)Note-taking skills: the average college lecturer speaks at about 150 words-per-minute; students take notes at 25 words per minute.
What is your secret-strategy to keep your head above water at a lecture? d)Test-taking skills: if you have learned secret-strategies in testing, you have time to read the entire exam three-times instead of once.
You can raise your exam scores up to 58%, if you own the right strategies.
e)Stress-busting skills: it is estimated that half of high school and college dropouts is caused by chronic stress, mental-depression, fear and anxiety.
Students who are trained in relaxation techniques improve their test-taking, listening and communication skills.
We find they can comprehend and remember up to 28% more than their stressed-out peers.
Endwords Our organizations have been involved with helping about two million students and executives learn to speed read, including the White House staffs of four U.
S.
Presidents.
During this time we have learned an awful lot about memory, concentration, and focusing our attention.
Would it help students at Community Colleges to be able to read three books, articles and reports in the time their peers can hardly finish even - one? If they have not mastered complex-reading - beyond Dick-and-Jane and the adventures of their dog - Spot - those folks are at a severe disadvantage in reaching for their version of the American Dream.
How can they get their foot in the door in the first place? In our experience - once you make the decision to become a speed reader - and take the first-step forward - within three-weeks, you will be making quantum-leaps to personal growth, and success in school and in your career.
We know who has the problem - and perhaps you now know that the solution is less than insurmountable.
Will the government solve the college problem? Are you willing to wait for the Second Coming? Americans have always succeeded through personal initiative - schooling is no different.
Now is the time to play to win the college game.
See ya, copyright © 2006 H.
Bernard Wechsler http://www.
speedlearning.
org hbw@speedlearning.
org ______________________________________________________________