Dec 17, 2019
In an in-depth investigation of Tennessee's program offering free community college to new high school graduates, The Tennessean's Jason Gonzales and Adam Tamburin found that many students pursuing degrees and career certifications need more support and resources far beyond tuition assistance. Gonzales and Tamburin, EWA Reporting Fellows, discuss their series in this 2018 interview with EWA Public Editor Emily Richmond. Among the takeaways: while there was a statistically significant increase in community college enrollment since the program's inception in 2015, students still struggle with outside factors like a lack of preparedness for the rigors of college classes or needing to work to support themselves and their families. So what has worked? What hasn’t? What are early lessons of the program? How can reporters in other communities report on the effectiveness of similar “free college” or college access programs?
This episode of EWA Radio originally aired on December 2, 2018.