Metropolitan Community College has learned it’s getting $12.2 million to level the college pathway for students not quite ready for it.
The millions will be spread system-wide, from Penn Valley Campus to the Blue River campus in Independence.
Nancy Russell says not many people realize that four out of ten MCC students are over 25 and haven’t been in a classroom for years. Other students, she says, need tutoring. Russell heads the school’s Institute for Workforce Innovation.
“Traditionally we’ve had kind of a one size fits all placement and instructional model for these students. and we’re discovering that model doesn’t work," says Russell.
Russell says students have taken part in pilot programs to refresh their skills needed for college.
This grant makes it firmly funded over the next five years.
Funding rules of the U.S. Department of Education require colleges serve a substantial number of students getting federal student aid and meet other criteria.
