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February 2003
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Supporting CalWORKs Students at California Community Colleges
An Exploratory Focus Group Study
Laura Nelson, Rogéair Purnell
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MDRC is launching an ambitious
demonstration initiative called Opening Doors to Earning Credentials. Opening
Doors is designed to help nontraditional students — at-risk youth,
low-wage working parents, and unemployed individuals — earn college
credentials as the pathway to better jobs with higher pay. This exploratory
study investigated the challenges working low-income parents face as they
pursued an Associate's degree or postsecondary credential, and it examined
how comprehensive student services offered by the CalWORKs community college
program affected students' persistence. Attention was paid both to the barriers
that a sample of recipients of Temporary Aid for Needy Families (TANF) navigated
and the supports they received while they pursued their educational goals
at three community colleges in California. The results of this study have
important implications for public agencies, community colleges, and policymakers
who develop strategies and services that affect low-income parents' access
to and persistence in the community college system.
Key Findings
- Focus group participants benefited greatly from the comprehensive
services offered by the CalWORKs community college program and its staff,
whom the participants described as knowledgeable and empathic. The academic,
personal, career, and employment-related assistance provided by program
staff helped many students persist in school, particularly during times
of crisis or doubt. In addition to providing clear and consistent educational
planning and counseling that allowed students to monitor their progress,
staff also helped them navigate the community college system early in
their tenure and connected them to other on-campus and off-campus services
for which they were eligible. Without this assistance, some students
felt that they may have forced to stop their coursework or drop out
of school.
- Juggling the responsibilities of parenting, school, and work while
satisfying requirements imposed by the county was an on-going challenge
for many students. Some of these pressures were eased by the availability
of good, stable child care and affordable housing; the support of family,
peers, and employers; and by having clear educational plans. Participation
in work-study provided students an opportunity to work on campus or
in flexible positions with employers that were sensitive to the needs
of working parents who were enrolled in school.
- Students did not have much opportunity to explore educational and
career options or to enroll in and complete remedial classes that would
help prepare them to begin a course of study. County rules allow TANF
recipients 18 to 24 months to work toward their degree before they face
sanctions on the adult portion of their grant. But time spent investigating
alternative courses of study or taking remedial coursework often increased
the amount of time focus group participants needed to complete their
majors beyond the time permitted.
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Funders
This study was made possible through the assistance and cooperation of Grossmont
College, Sacramento City College, and Santa Monica College, the California
Community College Chancellor's Office staff, the focus group participants,
and the financial support of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
The findings and conclusions presented in this report do not necessarily represent the official positions
or policies of the funders.
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