Use of administrative databases has enabled higher education coordinating boards to assess the post-college earnings of students who attend community colleges. Some states have developed comprehensive methodologies for tracking the economic success of students in a variety of fields. Not only educators, but also legislators and the public, have begun to focus more attention on employment data as a performance measure for community colleges. This issue addresses the growing debate surrounding the use of such databases and presents case studies from individual institutions. The chapters discuss various state initiatives that look at student outcomes and institutional accountability efforts and they raise a number of questions. Is there a broad movement to connect accountability and outcome measures with funding? Would a national definition of economic benefit be helpful? How would economic benefit be measured? These are some of the themes addressed in this volume. This is the 104th issue of the Jossey-Bass seriesNew Directions for Community Colleges.
This friendly, helpful Q&A book from the editor-in-chief of The Princeton Review presents simple answers to your toughest questions about the college admissions process, figuring out financial aid, and getting into the university of your choice! As The Princeton Review’s chief expert on education, Robert Franek frequently appears on ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX to share his insider expertise on the college admissions process. Each year, he travels to high schools across the country, advising thousands of anxious students and parents on how to turn their college hopes into reality. Now, with College Admission 101, the best of Rob’s wisdom has finally been collected in one place! From standardized tests to financial aid, Rob provides straightforward answers to 60+ of the questions he hears most often, including: · Should I take the ACT or SAT? · When should I start my college research? · How many schools should I apply to? · Will applying Early Decision or Early Action give me a leg up? · Which extracurricular activities do colleges want to see? · How does the financial aid process work? · What’s more important: GPA or test scores?
Praise for the Previous Edition of The American Community College "Projecting the future for the community colleges of the early twenty-first century involves projecting the future for the nation in general: its demographics, economy, and public attitudes.... At heart is a discourse on how the institutions may adapt historical structures and practices to a changing world, and how those changes may ultimately affect students, the community, and society at large." —from the Conclusion, "Toward the Future" "Since 1982, The American Community College by Cohen and Brawer has been the authoritative book on community colleges. Anyone who wants to understand these complex and dynamic institutions—how they are evolving, the contributions they make, the challenges they face, the students they serve, and the faculty and leaders who deliver the services and the curricula—will find The American Community College both essential reading and an important reference book." —George R. Boggs, former president and CEO, American Association of Community Colleges "I have been a community college president for over forty-one years and a graduate professor for three decades. This book has been an inspiration to generations of students, faculty members, and administrators. It has become the classic of the field because it has great 'take-home' value to us all." —Joseph N. Hankin, president, Westchester Community College "Cohen and Brawer's classic work is the touchstone for a comprehensive overview of the American community college. This is a seminal book for graduate students as well as seasoned professionals for understanding this uniquely American institution." —Charles R. Dassance, former president, Central Florida Community College
Why so many of America's public university students are not graduating—and what to do about it The United States has long been a model for accessible, affordable education, as exemplified by the country's public universities. And yet less than 60 percent of the students entering American universities today are graduating. Why is this happening, and what can be done? Crossing the Finish Line provides the most detailed exploration ever of college completion at America's public universities. This groundbreaking book sheds light on such serious issues as dropout rates linked to race, gender, and socioeconomic status. Probing graduation rates at twenty-one flagship public universities and four statewide systems of public higher education, the authors focus on the progress of students in the entering class of 1999—from entry to graduation, transfer, or withdrawal. They examine the effects of parental education, family income, race and gender, high school grades, test scores, financial aid, and characteristics of universities attended (especially their selectivity). The conclusions are compelling: minority students and students from poor families have markedly lower graduation rates—and take longer to earn degrees—even when other variables are taken into account. Noting the strong performance of transfer students and the effects of financial constraints on student retention, the authors call for improved transfer and financial aid policies, and suggest ways of improving the sorting processes that match students to institutions. An outstanding combination of evidence and analysis, Crossing the Finish Line should be read by everyone who cares about the nation's higher education system.
Can the U.S. keep its dominant economic position in the world economy with only 30% of its population holding bachelor’s degrees? If the majority of U.S. citizens lack a higher education, can the U.S. live up to its democratic principles and preserve its political institutions? These questions raise the critical issue of access to higher education, central to which are America’s open-access, low-cost community colleges that enroll around half of all first-time freshmen in the U.S. Can these institutions bridge the gap, and how might they do so? The answer is complicated by multiple missions—gateways to 4-year colleges, providers of occupational education, community services, and workforce development, as well as of basic skills instruction and remediation.To enable today’s administrators and policy makers to understand and contextualize the complexity of the present, this history describes and analyzes the ideological, social, and political motives that led to the creation of community colleges, and that have shaped their subsequent development. In doing so, it fills a large void in our knowledge of these institutions.The “junior college,” later renamed the “community college” in the 1960s and 1970s, was originally designed to limit access to higher education in the name of social efficiency. Subsequently leaders and communities tried to refashion this institution into a tool for increased social mobility, community organization, and regional economic development. Thus, community colleges were born of contradictions, and continue to be an enigma. This history examines the institutionalization process of the community college in the United States, casting light on how this educational institution was formed, for what purposes, and how has it evolved. It uncovers the historically conditioned rules, procedures, rituals, and ideas that ordered and defined the particular educational structure of these colleges; and focuses on the individuals, organizations, ideas, and the larger political economy that contributed to defining the community college’s educational missions, and have enabled or constrained this institution from enacting those missions. He also sets the history in the context of the contemporary debates about access and effectiveness, and traces how these colleges have responded to calls for accountability from the 1970s to the present.Community colleges hold immense promise if they can overcome their historical legacy and be re-institutionalized with unified missions, clear goals of educational success, and adequate financial resources. This book presents the history in all its complexity so that policy makers and practitioners might better understand the constraints of the past in an effort to realize the possibilities of the future.
A wide-ranging examination of the governmental and institutional policies and practices, and essential theories and areas of research that in combination establish the foundation, explore and extend the boundaries, and expand the base of knowledge in the
In Fostering Success of Racial and Ethnic Minorities in STEM, well-known contributors share salient institutional characteristics, unique aspects of climate, pedagogy, and programmatic initiatives at MSIs that are instrumental in enhancing the success of racial and ethnic minority students in STEM education.
Use of administrative databases has enabled higher education coordinating boards to assess the post-college earnings of students who attend community colleges. Some states have developed comprehensive methodologies for tracking the economic success of students in a variety of fields. Not only educators, but also legislators and the public, have begun to focus more attention on employment data as a performance measure for community colleges. This issue addresses the growing debate surrounding the use of such databases and presents case studies from individual institutions. The chapters discuss various state initiatives that look at student outcomes and institutional accountability efforts and they raise a number of questions. Is there a broad movement to connect accountability and outcome measures with funding? Would a national definition of economic benefit be helpful? How would economic benefit be measured? These are some of the themes addressed in this volume. This is the 104th issue of the Jossey-Bass seriesNew Directions for Community Colleges.
