Data from a new study published by the Pew Research Center indicate that, currently, more 18 to 24 year olds living in the U.S. are enrolled in college than ever before. As of October, 2008, nearly 11.5 million students--or 39.6% of all young adults ages 18 to 24--were enrolled in either a two- or a four-year college.

Since the average per-year cost of attending a two-year college is generally significantly less than that of a state or private four-year college or university, many individuals seeking to further their education have found community colleges an affordable option. With the recession still affecting the lives of many, community colleges have seen their number of enrollees increase significantly. From October 2007 to October 2008, student enrollment at four-year colleges remained virtually the same. Over the same period of time enrollments at community colleges increased from 3.1 million to 3.4 million.

In a bracing piece in The Nation, Sharon Lerner explores, with her usual clarity, why it is that primary prevention--simple birth control--now seems so devalued. Read, scratch your head, and be concerned. Sigh.

Ever wonder how births among teen girls have changed over the past 15 years? Or if parents ever disagree about whether their pregnancy was planned or not? Or even wonder how an unplanned pregnancy might affect the relationship stability of the parents? Or their happiness in their relationship? Don't look any further for answers, simply check out the 5 new sections of our DCR (Data, Charts, Research) Report and find out!

Section E - The Changing Portrait of Teen Childbearing Over Time
This section provides a portrait of teen births among girls age 15-19 in the United States, from 1991 to 2006. More specifically, the section explores the distribution of teens giving birth by age, race/ethnicity, nativity, marital status, and education, as well as the proportion of teen births that are low birth weight and are premature.
Highlights: Non-Hispanic white teens account for the largest share of teen births. However, since 1991, the proportion of teen births that are to non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic black teens has decreased while the proportion of teen births to Hispanic teens has increased.  

When asked why he robbed banks, Willie Sutton famously replied: "That's where the money is." Which brings us to community colleges...

As regular readers of this blog are surely aware, fully half of all pregnancies in the United States are unplanned. Among single women in their 20s the rate is even higher--fully seven in 10 pregnancies among single 20-somethings are unplanned. Moreover, the rates of teen pregnancy and childbearing are highest among older teens (those age 18-19).

Take the high rate of unplanned pregnancy among young adults and consider this: there are about 11.5 million students in community colleges, representing nearly half (46%) of all undergraduate students in America.

Starting to get the Willie Sutton drift?

In a couple of weeks, MTV will start airing their new documentary series, "Teen Mom." A follow-up to the hit "16 and Pregnant," this new show takes you back into the lives of four of the original "16 and Pregnant" girls -- Maci, Amber, Catelynn, and Farrah -- for their first year of teen motherhood, asking whether you can live like a teenager once you've become a parent.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I first heard that MTV -- the network that arguably started the reality TV craze with "The Real World" nearly a generation ago, and is now known for launching the careers of Lauren Conrad and Spencer Pratt -- was planning a documentary-style series on pregnant and parenting teenagers. After watching the initial six-episode run of "16 and Pregnant," I know one thing... I'm hooked and I'm going to watch every single episode of "Teen Mom."