Degrees Are Important, but so Are Skills

Community College of Philadelphia (CCP), with its open admissions, tests its incoming students, many of whom are from Philadelphia public schools, for literacy and numeracy. As opposed to four- year institutions that weed out student with low scores, CCP provides opportunities for students to advance their abilities and prepare for continued education. For example, Rhodes Scholar Hazim Hardeman, now at Oxford University, nearly failed high school and started at CCP in developmental classes. He transferred to Temple University after graduation and earned one of academia’s highest honors.

— The Notebook