Community colleges should not try to overturn the class structure of American society. Their universal obligation is not to be social revolutionaries, community modifiers, educational agency brokers, or the purveyors of certificates of ever-lower value that give people the illusion that they have learned. It is to teach. (Author)

Traces the current status of the community college academic curriculum through data from several national studies conducted by the Center for the Study of Community Colleges over the past 10 years. Sees the Humanities, Sciences, Fine Arts, Mathematics, and English Composition as the academic disciplinary core of the collegiate curriculum. (CBC)

Considers ways of measuring educational outcomes. Summarizes results from the Center for the Study of Community Colleges' administration of the General Academic Assessment, which measures the general education/liberal arts knowledge of two-year college student cohorts. Reveals direct relationships between test scores and credits taken and…

Reviews ERIC materials dealing with the mathematics curriculum in the two-year college, remedial programs, college-level programs, student mathematics competencies, professional dimensions, and the future of mathematics instruction. (DMM)

Examines reasons for community colleges' return to mandatory testing and placement in courses/programs where students have a reasonable expectation of success. Looks at the use and success of other retention strategies, including orientation programs, tutors, and integrated support services. (DMM)

Reviews the development of the transfer function in California community colleges, supplying data confirming that community colleges function not only as career, community, and compensatory education centers, but as institutions in which students desiring baccalaureate degrees matriculate, albeit differently from a generation ago. (DMM)

Reflects on the long personal and professional relationship between the author and Dr. Raymond Schultz. Analyzes the changing function of community colleges since the 1960s and examines three recent shifts in the community college concept. Suggests that community college education programs should emphasize a historical perspective. (CAM)

Notes the decline of humanities curricula due to the association of humanities instruction with transfer education. Outlines five corrective measures related to the utilization of interdisciplinary courses, increased liaison between humanities and community services staff, utilization of nontraditional instructional techniques, and the development…

Examines recent trends in general education, discussing its importance, definitions of general education, and its inconsistent status. Provides three examples of successful general education programs, as well as an ideal model for a community college program. (AYC)

Drawing from reports on the future of community colleges, summarizes trends in enrollments, curriculum, student achievement, institutional research, and accountability for educational outcomes. (DMM)

Describes study that sought to find the ratio of liberal arts to nonliberal arts courses taught in the nation's community colleges; the extent to which the curriculum is devoted to nonliberal arts; the number of transferable nonliberal arts courses; and the variability of transfer of these courses. Considers the transferability of nonliberal arts…

Describes a study conducted by the Center for the Study of Community Colleges to investigate the liberal arts credit offerings of 164 community colleges nationwide. Considers the make-up of the college curriculum, trends in course level (remedial, standard, or advanced), average class size, and total enrollments. (DMM)

Focuses on the different institutions that provide postcompulsory education and training around the world. Summarizes international patterns of governance and organization, enrollment trends, financing methods, faculty characteristics, and curricula for short cycle education. (MAB)

Reviews the literature on trends in community college finance, focusing on trends in support patterns, expenditures, state funding, tuition, student loans and default rates, adult education funding, federal support, and comparable practices in other nations. (DMM)