Bringing Adults Back to Community College Strategies & Recommendations to Re-Enroll Adult Learners

Community college enrollment has significantly declined since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Between the spring 2020 term and the spring 2022 term, nationwide community college enrollment declined by nearly 17 percent. This alarming trend has posed a threat to the well-being of community colleges and the students they serve, which includes more than 1.7 million adult learners. Since fall 2021, our team has partnered with Student Ready Strategies, a technical assistance provider, and six community colleges to help re-enroll adult students who have stopped out of college since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introductory Remarks

Iris Palmer

Deputy Director, Community Colleges at New America

Research Presentation

Chris Geary

Senior Policy Analyst, Center on Education & Labor at New America

Panel Discussion

Michelle Wilson

Director of Evaluation and Learning, The National Fund for Workforce Solutions

Julia Lawton

Director of Program Administration, Achieving the Dream

Tess Henthorne

Senior Program Manager, College Excellence Program, The Aspen Institute