New York City's community college system is getting some attention for a new program. Part of the vast City University or NY (CUNY) system, NY's six community colleges began the Accelerated Studies in Associates Program (ASAP), a program which includes:
- Free tuition, books, and bus passes
- First pick for classes
- Twice-monthly counseling (mandatory)
- Summer orientation program (mandatory)
- Need remedial education? This isn't for you
ASAP has been very successful thus far: retention and GPA's are up, dropouts are down as compared to other students who don't require remedial classes. That's great news, this model surely works.
But is the model new? It doesn't appear so - it looks a lot like CC honors programs across the country. The NYC ASAP program proves that robust academic and financial support plus new student orientation helps student achievement. But we knew all that, didn't we?
Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge supporter of increased support for any select group of community college students. How about we give it a try for all community college students?
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