This paper traces the development of community colleges, analyzes their curricular functions, and discusses their contributions to the American educational system. First, several hypotheses accounting for the rise of the community college in America are summarized, including those pointing to a conspiracy of the elite, a populist alliance, and a…

In 1990, the National Center for Academic Achievement and Transfer awarded partnership grants to 13 pairs of two- and four-year institutions to strengthen transfer education through attention to academic practices. The grant program was open to institutions located in the 50 largest cities in the United States. To be eligible, two-year schools…

Assesses the community college transfer function with respect to low transfer and retention rates, the value of associate degrees, lack of congruence between students' intention to transfer and actual transfer rates, vocational programs as subbaccalaureate tracks, curriculum structure, the overproduction of bachelor's degrees, and colleges'…

Background papers and recommendations from the American Association of Community Colleges' (AACC's) 1992 roundtable on issues facing minority students in mathematics, science, and engineering (MSE) education are presented. The first paper, "Community College Networks," by Wm. Carroll Marsalis and Glenna A. Mosby, describes the Tennessee Valley…

As enrollment in transfer programs and the relative number of students who transfer to four-year institutions decrease, transfer education is losing its preeminence as the principal function of the community college. From 1907 to 1940, transfer education comprised 60-70% of enrollment and maintained its preeminence through the mid 1960's. By 1973,…