We are moving from a period in which community colleges are treated as second-class institutions to a period in which there’s a more intense focus on how critical these institutions are to improving the lives of large numbers of students.

Often the transition from high school to community college is the weakest link in the chain of upward mobility. As a result, large numbers of disadvantaged students have no idea what their options are or how to prepare for college.

This article is a Q&A with Pamela Burdman, formerly of WestEd and a subject matter expert on how some high schools inadequately prepare their students about the knowledge and skills community colleges expect them to have.