Community colleges are particularly well-positioned to help local job seekers and employers get back on their feet by providing high-quality training programs. These public colleges generally have strong ties to local businesses, experience serving adult learners, and deep roots in their communities.

But the challenge is how to design investments in community colleges that leverage their full potential as economic development institutions. Congress can help. 

Life on Harvard University's campus was meant to offer students the possibility of forming relationships with well-connected peers and professors, a social environment that could multiply opportunities. Now, the experience has narrowed into what is possible through a computer screen.

For all college students, including and especially those from low-income backgrounds, the coronavirus has unraveled years of hard work and extracurricular hustle. Some are now questioning the value of an elite institution.