In response to rising college tuition and student debt over the past three decades, some institutions, localities, and states have implemented a range of tuition-free promise programs to promote college access and success. Programs vary widely in their design features, including eligibility stipulations and award structure. I explore the growing…

Community and tribal colleges emphasize students' needs as well as local job contexts. The dynamic and emerging job market present a challenge to education and preparation of traditional degree-seeking students as education rarely keep steps with skills required by employers. Internships, or work-based learning, are a way to facilitate the…

Between 2004 and 2008, the Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy (CAAL) published four lengthy research reports on projects to examine the nature and effectiveness of Adult Education English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) programs at several community colleges. The research was conducted by field studies, interviews, and the review of a large…

At Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, freshmen were placed in groups of up to 25 who took three classes together during their first semester: an English class, usually at the developmental level; an academic course, such as health or psychology; and a one-credit orientation course. The program also provided enhanced counseling and…

The Early Childhood Technology Integrated Instructional System 3 (EC-TIIS 3), housed in the Center for Best Practices in Early Childhood (the Center) within the College of Education and Human Services at Western Illinois University (WIU), was funded in 2004 by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) as a…

Reviews the various determinants of educational quality cited in the two-year college literature and the methodologies designed and used to measure institutional and program quality. (AYC)

Remediation is the most common policy designed to prepare students academically and socially during their early stages of college. But despite its profound importance and its significant costs, there is very little rigorous research analyzing its effectiveness. The goal of this paper is to provide a conceptual framework for evaluation of remedial…

A discussion is provided of the role of the advisory committee in postsecondary vocational education. First, the development of federal legislation creating advisory committees at the national and state levels, and mandating the formation and defining the duties of local advisory committees is reviewed. The next section explains the process of…

This three-part report provides a literature review on the evaluation of community college staff development programs, reports on a study conducted to identify and validate evaluation criteria, and suggests a process for the use of these criteria in program evaluation. Part I reviews literature focusing on staff and program development,…

Reviews research literature concerning the rates of participation in and the effectiveness of instructional development programs in community colleges. Considers methodologies and findings, and concludes that the most effective methods (e.g., microteaching, minigrants, consultants) respect teachers' desire to be experts in specialized disciplinary…

An explanation of curriculum articulation is presented along with an overview of growing national and local concerns for coordinated educational programs. Shows how students and institutions benefit from an articulated curriculum. (LRA)

The influence of professional accreditation on community college nursing and allied health curricula is discussed in these five papers. First, Robert Evans presents the community college viewpoint, distinguishing between general/institutional and programmatic accreditation, outlining the growth of programmatic accreditation, and citing as concerns…

Based on a review of research and literature on student academic performance, provides an overview of the state of basic skills (developmental) instruction in the two-year college. Discusses the characteristics of successful basic skills programs. (DMM)

Presents the results of a study of community college faculty development activities. Reports that the colleges examined relied on traditional approaches to faculty development and made minimal efforts at evaluation. Urges colleges to develop more focused faculty development programs that are proven to improve learning and teaching. (Contains 35…

Describes the assessment of student learning outcomes in six domains: general education, transfer programs, vocational and occupational education, remedial and developmental education, continuing education, and affective and noncognitive areas. Discusses the use of assessment results and the implications of assessment for external accountability…