Virginia lawmakers are considering a proposal to allow community college students who graduate with good grades and meet income restrictions to pay community college tuition rates for almost three years of full-time study at a public four-year school within the state.

 

James Jacobs, associate director of the Community College Research Center at Columbia University's Teachers College, said the bill sounded well-meaning but because of its requirement that students get a 3.0 GPA, might not address a larger problem of people entering college but failing to complete any degree.  "My suspicion is the real problem isn't the kids who are very smart, who are going on to four-year college anyway," he said.

 

This article appeared in the January 25, 2007 edition of the Roanoke Times.