Explanation from Administrator

Citizens 4 Better Communities asked the administration of Penn Valley Community College, (mid-town two-year college), to submit two different surveys. The first directed toward former Kansas City, Missouri School District graduates, the other survey being conducted by Academic Instructors, Councilors, and Testing Center Director, again, directed toward former Kansas City, Missouri School District students.

C4BC was disappointed to hear from a top administrator which felt neither survey would provide useful information.

The major theme of Penn Valley Community College is Health and Human Science. The majority of students attending Penn Valley are going into the medical field. Only 30% of the student body is comprised of former Kansas City, Missouri School District graduates. The remaining 70% are students from other states, students from other nations, or people in the
workforce intent on changing professions or upgrading their knowledge in their current profession. In contrast, 80% of the students attending Maple Woods and Longview live in the area of the college they attend.

The entrance exams for the community colleges are not a pass/fail test; they are designed to identify the knowledge level of the applicant in reading English and math.

At Penn Valley, when former KCMSD students living in mid-town area, are told they must take a college entrance exam, many do not come back. These students are apprehensive because they feel the KCMSD failed to give them the education they need to continue on to college.

Of these applicants who do take the test, the majority must take remedial, non-credit courses to increase their knowledge level before they can begin taking classes to accrue credits applicable to graduation. As this can take from 1 to 3 semesters, many get discouraged and drop out. The community colleges are doing job the KCMSD should already have done. Community colleges should not be required to teach high school level academics.

The administrator also explained that when the college needs information from the Kansas City, Missouri School District, the district is lax in returning Penn Valley's calls. The college now tries to obtain the information from other agencies.

Note: From C4BC; Go to 3/1 ratio or Important Letter on home page:

Kansas City, Missouri Metropolitan Community Colleges: one such community college is Penn Valley, a two-year college, where the Kansas City, Missouri School District is 80% percent African American. Penn Valley Community College's student population is 66.0 percent Caucasian, 23.2 percent African American. That is about a 3 to 1 ratio.

Kansas City and County wide with a combined 14 different school districts and combined five (5) Community Colleges, the ratio is even more staggering, 11/2 ration, 77.0 percent Caucasian, 13.8 percent African American.

For more statistic on other ethnic distribution Click here

Now tell C4BC; isn't there something wrong with the KCMSD?