Access to college is a challenge in many rural areas, and that often affects the education, career, and economic paths of many people’s lives.
In California, about 10% of students — more than half a million — live in rural areas. Many of them struggle to go to college in part because there are simply no colleges near them. A recent study by UCLA and the University of Arizona shows that college recruiters rarely travel to those rural communities. Making college access even harder.
According to the report, colleges disproportionately recruit at private high schools, and in communities where the average family makes above $100,000 each year. Colleges tend to avoid recruiting in areas where average family income is below $70,000.
That blocks many students from access to college and leaves many rural communities stranded, both educationally and economically.
Adding to being ignored by college recruits are transportation difficulties to get to neighboring colleges. It can be hard for anyone to attend classes at a college that’s an hour away or more, let alone people struggling economically. Research out of the University of Virginia’s Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture found that people in the most rural areas are twice as likely to feel powerless and marginalized as those in cities and suburbs, and the less education they have, the more alienated they feel.
“Providing greater postsecondary opportunities for rural residents isn’t simply a matter of equity or moral obligation — it’s a matter of continued national prosperity,” Andrew Koricich, an assistant professor of education at Appalachian State University, told The Hechinger Report. Lack of access also contributes to the lower incomes and fewer job opportunities that many rural areas have for students of all ages.
California Makes College Available Everywhere
Calbright was designed by the state legislature to be a solution to geographical challenges and the problem of rural communities too often overlooked by higher education. Rural outreach to students has been a part of Calbright’s mission from the beginning, emphasizing that working-age adults can access career-focused programs regardless of their zip code.
Ajita Talwalker Menon, Calbright President and CEO, meets routinely with rural elected and local leaders like the Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) to discuss how to support rural residents and local economies. It’s partnerships like these that have led to Calbright serving students in 57 of California’s 58 counties.
Calbright’s model is designed to be accessible to people everywhere. Its classes are online and can be taken on the student’s schedule, eliminating the barriers of distance and travel. For those areas that don’t have easy access to the internet, Calbright has a lending library of laptops and wifi hotspots available free of charge, which goes a long way towards eliminating the digital divide. Calbright keeps its courses relevant to rural learners by working with statewide business groups and regional economic development agencies, teaching the skills that companies across California are hiring for. Whether at a local or a remote company, rural students can use their Calbright education to get a good job.
This makes the education many adults need to advance their careers available to students in rural areas, and means that people in rural areas don’t need to leave their communities just to get job opportunities. It’s another way that California is using innovation to solve the educational and economic challenges of the 21st century.
