TITLE
Recommendation to request City Manager to work with Long Beach City College (LBCC), the Long Beach Department of Economic Development, Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Network (PGWIN), and North Long Beach higher education experts and advocates to explore the feasibility of establishing a higher education center in North Long Beach.
DISCUSSION
Community colleges are a key contributor to the diversity of higher education and an improved economy. Representing over 8 million students nationwide, community colleges are primary institutions for workforce development and an affordable, accessible gateway to baccalaureate degrees. The Long Beach College Promise illustrates what an alignment of educational institutions, businesses, and local governments can do to support access to education and local economic development. Though cost and preparation are common barriers to educational attainment, proximity also reinforces inequality within higher education.
The Problem
Over the past decade, studies have assessed linkages between distance and education, indicating that proximity affects a student's institution of choice, their probability to study, and educational attainment. A 2009 publication affirms that geographic location is an important factor in determining where, and often whether, a high school senior goes onto college; most commonly being the case for first-generation and low-income students.' Therefore, the odds of applying to college are increased the closer an institution is located.
In addition to enrollment, distance places a strain on performance and educational attainment, negatively affecting students of color and those who work while in school, Today, approximately 40% of first-time freshmen are enrolled in community colleges across the country. However, of those first-time enrollees, it will take up to 6 years for at least 30% of the low-income, first-generation students to complete their Associate's degree. ii For these demographics,...
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