At an Academic Affairs meeting for the Maricopa Community College District, Mike Lesiecki, the director of Maricopa Advance Technology Education Center, showed the PBS documentary: Discounted Dreams:  High Hopes and Harsh Realities at America’s Community Colleges.  “Discounted what,” you say? 

“Discounted Dreams is a recent PBS documentary that portrays Community Colleges as the fastest growing segment of American higher education – and some say the most vital to America’s future – offering a staggering array of classes and job training programs. But growing enrollment is straining the system, under-funding persists, and in spite of some remarkable success stories, they fail to graduate even half of those who come. In this documentary from Learning Matters, veteran correspondent John Merrow explores the paradoxes of these vital institutions.”

While many of us are in the Community College systems, it is good to see the whole picture.  Especially when only about a third of the students who start at a Community College complete their degree.  If you teach, how many students drop from your classes each semester?  What are the reasons?

And for industry people who work with Community Colleges – this documentary will explain a few things about the system.  Often times instructors hands are tied by Futse (Full time student enrollment).  Not enough students – the class is cancelled – sometimes for good.  This, obviously, affects a lot of technology programs. 

Check the airdates for your city.  It is a must watch.  It is only 55 minutes, not too long to watch to gain insight into the students who attend Community Colleges and the system itself.  Even though we are in the system, we are sometimes blinded by how close we are to it.  Discounted Dreams opened a few eyes at the Academic Affairs meeting and started many dialogues. 

Have you seen it?  If not, watch it when it comes to your local PBS station.  Better yet, you can host a screening of it for your college, industry, for anyone, as Mike did for Academic Affairs meeting and I will host at the SAME-TEC conference.