June 09, 2026
A research brief explores what community colleges producing the most credentials of value are doing right.
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A new research brief released by the Brookings Institution Monday takes a hard look at the best practices used by the community colleges that provide the most credentials of value.
Researchers used Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System data to rank community colleges based on their ability to produce workforce credentials of value—defined as students earning certificates worth at least $45,000 and associate degrees worth $50,000 in annual salary. Then they collected qualitative data about what “excelling” colleges were doing to achieve those outcomes. These studies were published by the American Institutes for Research in May 2026.
