Over all, community colleges in Tennessee have lost about 10 percent of their total enrollment, mirroring the national figures. “It’s depressing,” said Russ Deaton, executive vice chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents, which oversees community colleges in the state. Before the pandemic, statistics showed that at least 40 percent of students at community colleges left school before earning a certificate or degree. For these students, the pandemic upset an already difficult balancing act, leaving many just plain exhausted. Before the health crisis, Mr. Baranowski and his wife juggled their large family, several jobs and studies at Jackson State Community College, another school that was hit hard by the pandemic, in Jackson, Tenn., 90 miles northeast of Memphis.

Source: New York Times April 02, 2021 09:00 UTC