[mjburgess]

The issue is network effects, though, right?

If community colleges could attract the best teachers (etc.), and provide the kind of education as stated, then perhaps they would be what people want.

The problem is the incentives of workers, academics, students, the state, etc. are not aligned.

Most students probably do want the best practical education to get them into the workforce effectively -- but those who can provide that education have no incentive to.

The best industry professionals are in industry, the best academics are researchers.

[screwturner68]

CC actually do have some of the best teachers, they may not have some of the best research professors you get at a high-end school but they are actual teachers as opposed to grad assistants or a research guy who really doesn't want to teach. Further, even at your high-end schools most of the teachers are contract workers no different than any other college. I take classes at a CC down the road, the guy that taught one of my classes also teaches at two other universities, one that's a top 10 uni and another that's just an expensive private school -same teacher,same class, wildly different cost.

[CydeWeys]

Community colleges flat out can't afford the salaries that the best require. That's not network effects, that's a market effect.

[professoretc]

Some CCs actually pay better than 4-year schools. There's a lot of competition to get tenure at a university, which can drive down salaries.

[CydeWeys]

How common is this "some" though?

[etempleton]

A college or university's reputation is based on a number of things, just one is the quality of education that is provided. The Ivy league is the Ivy League because of being in a shared athletic conference and because those schools are some of the oldest in the nation.

The biggest drivers of reputation of have little to nothing to do with the quality of instruction. Below are probably the largest drivers of reputation in ranked order:

1. Athletics

2. Research

3. Notable alumni

4. Notable campus beauty / landscaping / facilities

5. Appearances in popular culture (movies, tv, etc.)

6. Outstanding instruction in a particular discipline for decades

[VLM]

"the people" are not "the best", they don't need to hire top 1% ivy league only, to teach 100% of the taxpaying public whom pay for the CC.

The local CC paid TAs the same at 2 year CC as at 4 year state U. Odd that they charge differential tuition to students while paying the TA the same. I had a programming grad student TA and a History grad student TA who both commuted to also teach at the 4-year down the road 30 miles.

[than3]

Having just short of 15 years of personal experience with this I can say with certainty, the issue is accountability.

There simply is none, and what's considered fraud in any other industry is just business as usual.