ABSTRACT
POOR PEOPLE’S COLLEGE AND POOR PEOPLE Community colleges are the postsecondary educational entry point for economically disadvantaged populations (Levin, 2007). Among the most challenged community college students are public assistance recipients whose opportunities of participation in higher education are linked to the nature of institutional programs aimed to help them overcome fi nancial strains, emotional confl icts, and/or disabilities. Specifi cally, we examine the role of welfare policies of the State and policy implementation in shaping the educational experiences of community college students who are also welfare recipients. Th e analysis addresses welfare reform policy, how individual and institutional actors implement such policy, and the characteristics of institutional programs aimed to help welfare recipients transition from welfare to work.
