Complete College America, a national nonprofit organization, is giving a grant to Texas community colleges to help freshman students perform better and graduate faster. According to the article published in the September 1st edition of The Texas Tribune, fifteen community colleges throughout the state will benefit from the million-dollar grant. The money was provided through a donation made by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and it will help implement the developmental programs at colleges.
State representative, Donna Howard, D-Austin, reinforced that this grant is essential to the Texas community colleges because of the massive budget cuts in education. The article also provides interesting data about a study from Georgetown University that concluded 56 percent of jobs in Texas will require a college degree by the year 2018. Also included in this article, are the findings of Texas State University professor, Selina Vasquez Mireles, about developmental education and how it is not always efficient and motivating to students.
Although this grant brings good news to the students, it also reminds Texas residents of the poor educational quality in the state. The reason why the grant is vital to the community colleges is the fact that 38 percent of new students are not prepared to enroll in college level math classes, for example. This unpreparedness is a reflection of the low standards of primary and secondary education in Texas, and the grant will only aid the consequences of it, but it will not stop the causes of the problem.
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