Community colleges have been criticized for perpetuating educational inequality by offering low-cost college courses that steer disadvantaged youth away from 4-year universities — ultimately leading to low rates of bachelor’s degree attainment. Jennie Brand, Fabian Pfeffer, and Sara Goldrick-Rab say that while community colleges may penalize advantaged students, they yield a small benefit to the vast majority of less-advantaged students in terms of degree completion. The authors say: “By attending to the probable alternative paths community college students would have followed in the absence of community college attendance, we are better positioned to interpret the outcomes associated with community college attendance.”

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