Four Principles for a Free Community College Program That Works for All

This post originally appeared on americanprogress.org. 

By: Sara Garcia | May 24, 2018

Over the last several years 16 states have implemented free or debt-free community college programs to ease the financial burden on students. These programs recognize that community colleges are an on-ramp to postsecondary education for millions of students, especially students of color.

New Jersey and Connecticut are currently considering their own free community college legislation. Legislators there should look to how other states have implemented similar legislation in the past and build on the successes of current state programs. But policymakers must also ensure their proposals are not overly restrictive or based on inaccurate assumptions about students. To that end, policymakers in all states should consider the following four key principles in designing new proposals for a free community college system that works for every student.

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Read the full post on the Center for American Progress website here.

Sara Garcia is a Policy Analyst for Postsecondary Education at the Center for American Progress.