Katie Couric's Notebook: Community Colleges

If this recession has a silver lining, it's this: More young people than ever are attending college... and community colleges are leading the boom. Faced with dismal job prospects, students know they need more than a high school diploma.

But here's the bad news: Of the nearly ten million students in community colleges, only a quarter of them will get an associate's degree or transfer to a four-year program.

The White House tackled this problem with a summit this week... aimed at helping community colleges do more to...well, serve their communities.

The administration wants these schools to support students who are struggling...academically OR financially...develop relationships with corporations for job training, and make it easier for kids to transfer to four-year schools.

One survey found that 80% of students in two-year programs ultimately want bachelor's degrees. Studying alone won't always get them there... but a great community college just might.

That's a page from my notebook.

I'm Katie Couric, CBS News.

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