Objective: Ideally, community colleges both democratize opportunity and develop in students the civic skills necessary to meaningfully participate in a democratic society. This national pilot study examines the individual and institutional factors associated with greater civic agency, capacity, behavior, and knowledge among students after at least…

Considers the conflict betweeen a college's goals and its actual functioning in terms of contracts and the market value of faculty and administration; departmental operating and capital budgets and faculty hiring and spending restrictions; classroom evaluations and administrative authority; and committee assignments and access to the power…

Traces the trend which shows occupational education replacing transfer education as the community college's major function in terms of credit enrollment, and discusses its implications for the labor market, societal views of education, and the future of community colleges. (AC)

Examines adult basic education, adult education, continuing education, and community services, collectively referred to as "community education", which comprise a group of functions, activities, and programs that have grown during the past ten years more rapidly than the traditional functions of transfer and occupational education. (TP)

Competition for public revenues will force colleges to establish priorities regarding social roles, curriculum, students, kinds of community service, tuition, and financial policies. Struggle to control policy by faculty, administration, local and state agencies is discussed. (RT)

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)

Reviews literature and statistics on the increasing incidence of underprepared students entering postsecondary education, highlighting the community colleges' role in responding to students' needs. Puts forth reasons for providing remedial education related to the magnitude of the problem, access for educationally disadvantaged, adult students,…

Offers background information about a report developed by a state-appointed committee concerning the mission, governance, and financing of the Maryland community colleges in light of current trends and future needs. Highlights major recommendations. (DMM)

Offers a review of the work of California's Commission for the Review of the Master Plan for Higher Education, focusing on the Commission's recommendations in the areas of: (1) ensuring both access to education and academic success; (2) college mission and functions; (3) faculty and administrators; (4) governance; and (5) finance. (DMM)

Reviews the guidelines created in 1950 for the development of North Carolina's community college system, and assesses how well the guidelines anticipated future needs. Reviews the achievements of the system with respect to vocational preparation, broad curricula, low tuition, conveniently located campuses, local initiative and control, and state…

Presents a four-stage model of the development of the community college, focusing on broad social, economic, and political changes. Calls these stages the Mutation (circa 1800-1920), the Empty Niche (1920-1950), Niche Expansion (1950-1975), and the Saturated Niche (1975-today). (DMM)

Defines functional illiteracy and offers statistics on the prevalence of illiteracy among various groups in the United States. Advocates a central role for community colleges in linking programs and resources addressing illiteracy, acknowledging constraints limiting the colleges' ability to combat the problem. (DMM)

Reviews concepts of effectiveness appearing in the literature as a context for discussion of changes necessary as community colleges move from concern with enrollments to outcomes. Defines alternatives open to colleges in terms of organizational culture. Identifies five strategies used by colleges in pursuit of increased effectiveness. (DMM)

Reports on interviews conducted to assess the status of humanities instruction in North Carolina's community colleges. Includes Dallas Herring's reflections on the establishment and growth of the state's community college system. Summarizes interviews with central office representatives and two-year college managers concerning the mission and…

Presents methods and findings of a study of finances, programs, costs, curriculum, and innovative practices at 160 small rural colleges, including comparative data on a small sample of nonrural and large community colleges. Finds small colleges receiving special consideration from funding sources and program diversity related to enrollment size.…