Students left behind

by E Wayne Ross on February 5, 2007

San Francisco Chronicle: Students left behind

IT’S LIKE inviting someone to dinner — and then only serving them a salad.

California is extraordinarily generous in welcoming students to community colleges, but does a lousy job helping many of them satisfy their educational aspirations.

A core part of the California mythology is that the doors to public higher education are open to anyone who wants to enter them. Community colleges fees especially have been kept very low — a mere $20 per unit. Nearly one-third of students get waivers, so they don’t pay any fees at all. Virtually anyone can enroll, even those who don’t have a high school diploma.

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