Adult students constitute a large and increasing proportion of community college enrollment across the United States. For personal, economic, and sociological reasons, the success of these students is vital to the students themselves, the institutions they attend, and society as a whole. The purpose of this dissertation was to examine results from…

Discussions of the barriers to completion in community colleges have largely focused on student success in introductory college-level math and English courses, and rightfully so, since these courses are typically required for degrees. However, there is a much broader range of courses that also serve as "gatekeepers" in the sense that they are…

In 2003, the Illinois Education Research Council (IERC) began to follow the members of the Illinois public high school class of 2002 (the Class of 2002) on their journeys through postsecondary education. There is a wealth of higher education information on these students, including enrollment and the completion of certificates and degrees. Also, a…

Which factors promote student transfer from California Community Colleges (CCC) to baccalaureate-granting institutions? How do community college practices support this transition? Which student behaviors and characteristics particularly facilitate their movement to four-year colleges and universities? The Research and Planning Group for California…

This handbook is designed to teach communities how to develop an effective juvenile firesetter intervention program. The six chapters of this handbook can be viewed as the six building blocks essential to construct a successful program. The cornerstone of the blueprint is understanding the personality profiles of juvenile firesetters and their…

Drawing from research and observations at Lansing Community College (Michigan) (LCC), this paper argues that typical arithmetic courses do little to prepare students to master algebra, and proposes an alternative set of arithmetic skills as actual prerequisites to algebra. The first section offers a description of the algebra sequence at LCC,…

This study was undertaken to determine whether a biology preparatory course given at an urban community college was helping students to develop the proper skills and background necessary to successfully complete follow-up courses in biology. Data indicated a mathematics score was the main discriminator between pass/fail groups of the preparatory…

A study investigated the extent to which 104 community college students' experiences with key college processes during the first few weeks of school predicted their persistence or withdrawal from the college in the second semester. Results identified a small set of processes, both administrative and instructional, that differentiated between…

A study using the Markov chain model was conducted at Kirkwood Community College (KCC) in Iowa to predict the age and probationary status of faculty members over the next 20 years and to estimate the budget required to cover increased salaries associated with additional experience. The study predicted faculty composition under four alternative…

In 1983-84, the Center for the Study of Community Colleges developed and field tested an instrument, the General Academic Assessment (GAA), to assess community college students' knowledge of several liberal arts areas, including mathematics. The GAA was completed by a sample of 8,024 students at four large, urban community college districts. The…

Designed as a forum for issues pertinent to education at the two-year college level, this journal contains articles and dissertation abstracts by professionals at community colleges in New York. The articles are: (1) "Imagery, Visualizations, and Music: Implications for Learning Using the Right Hemisphere," by Shirley Aaronson; (2)…

In 1986, a study was conducted by the Rancho Santiago Community College District (RSCCD) to evaluate the relationship between reading placement scores and classroom performance. The study sample consisted of students from fall 1985, spring 1986, and fall 1986 who had been tested using the College Board Assessment and Placement Test upon…

This report presents findings from a multi-year project on handicapped and non-handicapped high school dropouts, including a longitudinal study of high school students in five Colorado school districts and a social ecological study to identify community characteristics which predispose a school district to high dropout rates. The longitudinal…

Analysis of service needs of families caring for 571 young adults with mental retardation found that requests for community living were related more to family stressors than to characteristics of the young adult or participation in regular daytime activities. Services most requested were those representing normalizing activities. (Author/JDD)

In an effort to encourage the growth and maturity of its students, Broome Community College in New York abolished its attendance policy. For the past 7 years, both attendance rates and grade point averages (GPA's) of students at the college had been dropping. In 1990, a study was conducted at BCC to determine if there was a measurable relationship…