For more than half a century concerns about the ability of American students to compete in a global workplace focused policymakers' attention on improving school performance generally, and student achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) specifically. In its most recent form--No Child Left Behind--there is evidence…

This document reports on the current status of community college faculty. Several articles draw on a survey of community college faculty administered by the Center for the Study of Community Colleges (CSCC) in 2000. CSCC staff invited 240 randomly chosen college presidents to appoint a local facilitator to administer the survey on campus. A total…

Attitudes of a panel of 124 young adults in the Corner Brook (Newfoundland) area on a variety of politically relevant topics were examined over a two-year period to measure the possible effects of a university education. Generally, those who attended college did not change significantly in their attitudes, compared with high school graduates who…

This paper compares and contrasts the higher education articulation and transfer policies and processes between the states of Florida and Maryland. The author examines how the state governance structures impact articulation and transfer. Both states have instituted statewide policies meant to implement high levels of transfer between two-year and…

The findings of a two-year study of the impact of an elite private college education on five mature returning students enrolled at Smith College (Massachusetts) are presented. Most participants evolved to define success in terms of capacity to render service rather than in terms of social mobility. (SLD)

Team members of Project DEEP (Documenting Effective Educational Practice) spent almost two years immersing themselves in the daily work of twenty campuses. The common denominator of these institutions is that they all have participated in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and have scored better than predicted across some or all of…

Discusses four periods in the development of Wisconsin's two-year institutions: (1) the relevant legislative initiatives passed between 1900 and 1925; (2) a time of change and mild growth from 1933 to 1945; (3) a period of stability following World War II; and (4) an era of explosive growth and subsequent stability from 1960 to present. Appended…

In the state of Florida, several of the principles of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) have been enacted earlier than at the federal level. For example, the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test (FCAT) is required for all students through grade 10 and must be passed for promotion to grade 3 and for high school graduation. Schools are graded A through…

Retention and graduation rates have been topics of concern for undergraduate institutions. These indicators are not as applicable for two-year institutions where students' goals are more varied. This study examined the retention over four semesters of 678 first-time, full-time community college students with respect to their initial educational…

Using an ex-post facto, non-experimental approach, this research examined the impact of English language proficiency and multilingualism on the academic performance of international students enrolled in a four-year university located in north central Louisiana in the United States. Data were collected through a self-reported questionnaire from 59…

This article draws on three case studies, which illuminate a number of practical, ethical and intellectual issues that arise from "engaged" teaching activities within the curriculum. Projects from the disciplines of Architecture, English and Journalism Studies illustrate the possibilities offered by learning and teaching projects which…

This study researched how the characteristics of higher learning institutions affect the persistence and learning of college students. The author examined the extent to which perceptions of students' academic, personal, and career development and their satisfaction with their educational experiences in the two-year college are related to measures…

The Smart Investment 2002 Public Opinion Survey measures public opinion about the importance and effectiveness of college programs, interest in possible future participation in colleges classes, satisfaction with information received from other colleges, and other topics. The survey was conducted on the phone and used 1,190 adult Washington…

This report is an outcome of a project designed to seek, screen, evaluate, describe, and disseminate highly effective approaches used by two-year colleges to serve students with significant disabilities. "Two-year colleges" included academic institutions, technical colleges, and vocational institutes. From a pool of 18 applicants, the project made…

Griffith University is set across five campuses in south-east Queensland, Australia, and has a student population of 43,000. The School of Languages and Linguistics (LAL) offers programs in linguistics, international English, Chinese, Italian, Japanese and Spanish, as well as English language enhancement courses. Research strands reflect the…