This chapter aims to extend conversations around educational equity by emphasizing the role of community college contexts as a mediator between policy reform and student experience. Narratives of Tennessee (TN) Reconnect Grant recipients indicate that community college contexts related to advising and student support services and enrollment,…

This article describes the change process at East Los Angeles College (ELAC) to address the unique barriers that Latinx students face in transferring to 4-year institutions. Since 2014, California Community Colleges have had an unprecedented opportunity to target disparities in academic outcomes through the Student Equity Policy (SEP) and its…

This article examines how states and community colleges can streamline the transfer process through an innovative national program known as Interstate Passport. The program enables block transfer of lower-division general education attainment based on a set of learning outcomes rather than on individual courses and credits. The article shows how…

Public 2-year colleges were designed to serve students coming primarily from their local communities, hence explaining their "community college" title. This study focuses on an understudied factor capable of altering the local workforce impact of community colleges while also potentially strengthening their 4-year steppingstone function:…

This chapter describes "transfer swirl" as the back-and-forth movement that students make between more than two community colleges before transferring to a university. A discussion on the implications of using inconsistent definitions to refer to students who transfer swirl occurs.

In settings across the United States, governing boards, state officials, and campus leaders are intensely examining, refining, and reprioritizing post-secondary education missions and spending to optimize value-added economic and social returns. In this article, the authors discuss the nation's changing research and innovation context, the…

Offering new perspectives on academic advising in community colleges, this book defines developmental academic advising, describes the organization and delivery of advising services, and discusses key components of effective programs. The following 10 chapters are included: (1) "Developmental Academic Advising," by Thaddeus M. Raushi,…

A variety of community college programs and services designed to enhance minority student participation and success in higher education are described in this volume. Issues related to minority student recruitment, retention, and transfer to four-year institutions, and to minority staff professional development are explored in the following 15…

Issues in defining and conceptualizing general education in the two-year college are examined in this collection of essays. After introductory remarks, B. Lamar Johnson reviews the findings of the 1952 California Study of General Education and discusses their current applicability. Next, K. Patricia Cross reviews trends in general education from…

These nine articles question the community college's fulfillment of its educational and social roles. George Vaughan summarizes the writings of prominent critics of the community college and suggests that two-year college educators analyze and profit from their criticisms. Burton Clark reconsiders the community college's "cooling out" function and…

Reports key findings from research on community colleges since 1972. Discusses some of the major changes in these institutions in recent years (e.g., changes in student characteristics, the rise of vocational education, and the decline of the transfer function). Examines research needs and current dilemmas facing community colleges. (AYC)

Draws from interviews with former community college students who successfully transferred to four-year colleges to identify family-related and social factors influencing the educational success of these students who were the first college students in their families. Reports parental influences and problems in bridging the worlds of home and…

Presents a literature review of ERIC documents dealing with the transfer function of community colleges, college efforts to improve transfer rates, programs to assist women and minorities, and student financial aid issues. (AYC)

Provides citations to documents from the ERIC collection dealing with: the future of the community college; general education; vocational education; transfer education; community education and services; education for adult, nontraditional, and underprepared students; lifelong learning; reverse transfers; minority education; student objectives; and…

Examines the relationship between the number and level of liberal arts courses offered by colleges with high proportions of minority students and student transfer rates. Indicates that, although minority student transfer rates are not as high as those for white students, the curriculum does not appear to be an influencing agent. (11 citations).…