Courses in College

In Iowa, more and more high school students are graduating with a significant number of community college credits under their belts. The reason began nearly two decades ago when the state passed legislation that requires high schools to pay for the students that take the courses. Money for tuition ultimately comes from the state, with a portion going to community college tuition and the rest going to high school. The idea behind the legislation, according to the Green Field Reporter, was to provide additional opportunities to advanced high school students without taxing already tight school budgets.

As a result of the new law, more Iowa students began seizing the opportunity to get a leg up on their post-secondary education. According to the Des Moines Register, more than 38,200 high school students across the state earned community college credits before their high school graduation. Those numbers showed a 50 percent increase over a period of five years, according to the Iowa Department of Education. Students who received this credit ahead of time made up more than one-quarter of all the community college students in the state.

The Study Begins

This year, as Iowa’s 15 community colleges are gearing up for accreditation through the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnership, a study has been launched to determine the quality of college courses taught at the nearby high schools. This study will provide information on just how valuable community courses during high school can be,

Looking for a fun way for your kids to spend their summer vacation? How about a week or two at college? Many community colleges are bringing camps and workshops to their campuses across the country, allowing future college students of all ages the chance to dabble in technology, theatre and a host of sports. The offerings vary in terms of length of time, cost and curriculum, allowing students from a wide range of interests to pursue a new hobby or hone their skills at a current discipline. This article will highlight some of the community college programs available this summer across the country.

Bringing the Arts and Physical Education to New Mexico Kids

Clovis Community College has plenty to offer kids on break this summer at their CCC Kid's College. The school provides a range of classes in their summer outreach program, including science, arts and crafts and physical education. Students can create their own volcano while learning about the different rock that is created during an eruption. They can build bird houses to decorate their backyards. They can develop skills in tennis, bowling and volleyball. CCC offers some of the best – and most creative – courses for kids in New Mexico beginning at age five.

Kid's College Director Judith Spillane told cnjonline.com, "We wanted to offer both educational and physical educational programs. All of the classes have education and skills components, including our athletic programs."

Registration is currently underway at Clovis Community

President Obama wants to see more young Americans heading to college after high school, and he has started the wheels turning to make that happen. According to a report at DelawareOnline, Vice President Joe Biden recently announced President Obama's plan to boost community college completion to 50 percent by 2020. The president has also issued additional funding to community colleges to help them meet this goal. Some schools are taking a new approach to boost enrollment and completion in community colleges – by inspiring students to higher education before they even reach high school. This article will take a look at the way some community colleges across the country are sparking student interest in college earlier than ever before

Delaware Inspires Middle Schools

When President Obama increased national funding for the federal College Access Challenge Grant, it meant more money for the community colleges in Delaware. The schools in the state decided to use some of that extra money to fund a middle school program that brings eighth-grade students onto the community college campus for tours and information. The students learn about the various academic programs available, as well as financial aid options.

The program aims to get students interested in college at a younger age so they succeed in high school and move to a community college right after graduation. The program primarily targets areas of the state with high percentages of potential first-generation college students and single-parent homes.

Judi Coffield,

Two years ago, with a morbidly slumping economy and unemployment rates rising to the highest levels in decades, President Obama turned to community colleges as a means of bringing our country back to a state of robust economic health. According to a Washington Post report, Obama told the country that being unemployed is "no longer just a time to look for a new job." Instead, it's time to "prepare yourself for a better job."

To make it easier for displaced workers to get the training they needed to find employment once again, President Obama developed a plan that would allow unemployed workers to continue to receive unemployment benefits, as well as Pell Grants, to head back to school for retraining. Obama said, "I have asked every American to commit to at least one year of higher education. Every American will need more than a high school education."

Community Colleges Put it in Gear

To achieve Obama's end, community colleges across the country started kicking it into high gear, networking with employers in their area to provide job-specific training that would get the people in their communities back to work once again. However, it wasn't long before the economic crunch took its toll on higher education as well, and community colleges were forced to tighten their belts along with the rest of the country. With many budget cuts to grapple with, class sizes grew bigger and waitlists got longer. Still,

Learn Homesteading Skills at Your Local Community College

Homesteading began in this country with the Homestead Act, signed into law by President Lincoln in 1862. According to this legislation, people could obtain free land in exchange for developing a homestead farm within a set time frame. If they successfully started their farm, the land it sat upon was theirs to keep.

Although homesteading laws are no longer in effect throughout most of Canada and the United States, homesteading appears to be catching on again. We will take a look at the new definition of homesteading and visit some community colleges that are teaching students how to adopt this way of life successfully.

This video explains homesteading.

Today's Homesteading

While homesteading in the 19^th century was about staking your claim to a piece of land, today's definition is more about finding self-sufficiency in a more straightforward way of life. According to Modern Homesteading Today, modern homesteaders grow their food, make their clothing, and even supply their electricity to their homes through solar or wind power. Homesteading allows individuals to abandon the break-neck speed lifestyles common today in favor of a simpler life, living off the land and growing together as a family.

Homesteading can be done in any country area, including the heart of big cities. Urban homesteading has become a popular concept as more city dwellers learn to live self-sufficiently