"higher" education
I agree, but only to an extent. Most comunity college programs lack the funding and educated teachers to do much good. They're a good start for a lot of people though. They also offer some form of higher education to those who, for whatever reason, can't attend a regular university. There are a lot of programs that people attend in CC that are just vocational or trade degrees. I think that alone is of some worth, if people have a use for it.
Do your home work when you're choosing schools to apply for. Aim high, apply at schools regardless of whether or not you think you'll get in. You're already on the internet, why not use it to do some research. I didn't get to attend the universities of my choosing, but that was of my own doing. I was forced into taking correspondence courses and attend colleges close to me, because of my enlistment in the military at the time. I graduated from a decent school though, Syracuse U fairs pretty well against other colleges of it