In an op-ed published in today’s Raleigh News & Observer, my Pope Center colleague Jay Schalin argues that North Carolina (and why not other states as well?) should steer many college students into community colleges first. Those who either can’t handle college work or simply don’t want to can find that out with much less expense than if they go to a four-year school right away.

I would add that in a community college, academically marginal students are apt to realize that there are training programs available that would do them a lot more good than almost any BA degree.