Recent trends in immigration and foreign student enrollments are placing a growing demand on community colleges for English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction. A 1991 study of course sections at 164 two-year colleges nationwide revealed that ESL had grown from 30% of all foreign language courses offered in 1983 to 51% in 1991, and that the…

Community colleges are publicly supported institutions offering comprehensive programs of career-related, remedial, and freshman and sophomore studies, along with community services. Technical institutes, on the other hand, primarily offer preparation for technological occupations, while junior colleges focus primarily on freshman and sophomore…

Community colleges can play an important role in increasing the number of people in the scientific talent pool and diversifying its ethnic and gender composition. In an effort to recruit more women and minorities into two-year college science, math, and engineering technology programs, community colleges are engaging in a wide range of special…

Community colleges play a major role in improving the access of Hispanic students to higher education, with roughly 56% of all college-going Hispanics attending these institutions. Relatively few however, have attained a postsecondary degree of any kind. A study of 145 community colleges found that Hispanic student retention was influenced by such…

As a college degree becomes increasingly important for individuals seeking employment, the numbers of first-generation students continues to grow. With the first-generation student pool comprised largely of members of working class families, ethnic minorities, women, and or adults, community colleges have always viewed first-generation students as…