In this report the authors examine high school completion and postsecondary enrollment (a.k.a. "educational attainment") of the cohort of 9th grade students who were in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) at the beginning of their state-mandated evaluation of the MPCP in 2006. After tracking the MPCP 9th graders following the 2006-07 year…

This two-year school-wide initiative to improve teachers' pedagogical skills in inquiry-based science instruction using a constructivist sociocultural professional development model involved 30 elementary teachers from one school, three university faculty, and two central office content supervisors. Research was conducted for investigating the…

Describes a successful practice for incorporating more novels into community college literature courses and for sparking student interest in reading. Presents a book club assignment that includes both collaborative activities and a group presentation. Considers how a book club assignment offers an effective way to include more writers into the…

The problem facing many higher education institutions is the ability to engage freshmen students during the first semester of college in order to sustain their enrollment. This study assessed the effectiveness of a freshmen learning community as a retention strategy at a small, rural, and public community college. The purpose of this ex post facto…

This case study reviewed the collaborative efforts of university engineers, teacher educators, and middle school teachers to advance sixth- and seventh-grade students' learning through a series of project-based engineering activities. This two-year project enriched regular school curricula by introducing real-world applications of science and…

Shared governance is one of the many distinguishing characteristics of quality in American higher education. As a result, students found their way into the governance structure at many institutions of higher education. No sector was exempt, as students became fairly common features of the landscape of board membership in both public and private,…

Latent trajectories of credit hour accumulation were modeled using three independent samples of community college students. Five qualitatively distinct patterns of persistence emerged from these samples: Full-time, long-term; 2 years and out; long-term decliners; part-time, long-term; and one term and out. Follow-up analyses using measures on the…

Little is known about the the socioeconomic background of students attending community and technical colleges. This has created a void in understanding student access and success. The State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) has thus enlisted help from the Columbia University Community College Research Center (CCRC) to construct an…

Students from low-income families are greatly underrepresented at selective colleges and universities in the United States. In an attempt to increase applications from low-income students, some institutions have developed programs involving increased recruitment of and more attractive financial aid packages for students from low-income families.…

Across the country, a growing number of recent high school graduates are participating in summer bridge programs. These programs provide accelerated and focused learning opportunities in order to help students acquire the knowledge and skills needed for college success. The state of Texas has given particular attention to summer programs as a way…

This report provides an annual look at the summer 2008, fall 2008 and spring 2009 terms' enrollment in categories such as time, location and demographics of the community college student population. The content and format of this report has been developed through a collaborative effort between the Wyoming Community College Commission and the…

A 2007 report by Jobs for the Future concluded that the United States "has miles to go to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in degree production, strengthen the domestic workforce to meet demand for higher skills and knowledge, and remain internationally competitive." That the United States must educate more of its citizens for an…

According to the White House Initiative on Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), there are 36 federally recognized TCUs in the United States. Located mainly in the Midwest and Southwest, TCUs enroll approximately 30,000 full- and part-time students. They offer two-year associate degrees in more than 200 disciplines, with some providing a…

Workforce Remodelling in England has been presented as a means to enhance the development of teachers and promote rising educational attainment. Through a re-examination of roles, schools are presented with an opportunity to review their ways of working to improve the quality of their practices. This paper looks at the ways in which the…

To get a feel for the last time Vanderbilt University confronted economic volatility and stress similar to what U.S. colleges and universities have experienced over the past two years, the author carefully reviewed his predecessors' notes. His conclusion: the early 1930s. That was the last time a chancellor at Vanderbilt University detailed…