The purpose of this article is to provide a blueprint to conduct equity case studies in rural community colleges. Informed by our field work experiences applying case study design and equity-minded frameworks, this blueprint involves four distinct steps: (1) identifying rural community colleges in North Carolina; (2) operationalizing equity in…

The corequisite model is a promising developmental education reform effort that is helping students transition into college-level coursework more quickly. The purpose of this Brief is to offer recommendations to college leaders, faculty, and staff involved with implementing the corequisite model at their institution. Our recommendations are from a…

In 2021, community college practitioners, scholars, researchers, and leaders accepted a challenge to document what worked, what did not work, and lessons learned during the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. This article summarizes the works of 39 authors who collectively wrote 14 peer reviewed papers in areas of leadership, curriculum, funding, social…

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted community colleges and created a new context in which they were forced to operate. Faculty, especially those who normally taught in-person, were required to transition quickly to fully online classrooms. Drawing on semi-structured interviews conducted at the start of the pandemic with 17 students pursuing degree…

To close equity gaps in California Community Colleges, we need institutional and curricular transformations. This article discusses research on pedagogical and institutional approaches to equity and change that guided Basic Skills faculty, administrators, student service staff, and students in the Academic Committee for Equity and Success (ACES)…

This qualitative study employs narrative inquiry methodology to elicit information from 10 mid- and senior-level administrators at eight of the 13 federally-designated historically Black community colleges (HBCCs) in the nation about their institution's response to the challenges of change presented by COVID-19. Specifically, the semi-structured…

Nationally, the pathway model -- commonly defined as "a highly structured, coherent education experience that is built around and through an area of study" -- has emerged as the preferred structural approach to deliver the curriculum at community colleges. The pathway model provides a new hope to community colleges to create a solution…

Colleges and Universities across the country closed campuses in March 2020 as the coronavirus spread worldwide and transformed into a pandemic. It became evident when the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) made recommendations for social distancing that would not allow the return of normalcy on campus for the rest of the semester.…

The concept of new vocationalism reached its height in the 1990s and 2000s as views evolved regarding how community colleges should provide relevant vocational education for students. The concept of new vocationalism is here brought into the present moment by mapping theoretical lineages and emphasizing the current and future practical…

Institutions of higher education are presented as vital pathways to economic mobility, particularly for working class, first generation, and students of color. Yet the inequitable outcomes produced by post-secondary institutions suggest structures and systems of exclusion and enclosure. In this critical mixed methods case study, we explore the…

Everett Community College (EvCC) made numerous changes to retain and support students enrolled in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education during the coronavirus pandemic. Drawing on insights from EvCC faculty and staff affiliated with a National Science Foundation (NSF) S-STEM scholarship grant called the "EvCC STEM…

In 2020, United States (U.S.) community colleges had to swiftly make changes to educational programs and alter teaching mobilities as a response to COVID-19 that profoundly impacted international education. Yet, the pandemic also created a moment in time that, like other disasters, offered a chance to rethink current practices to create…

A recent state-wide curricular shift in developmental course offerings mandated that the exit levels of developmental reading and writing coursework in every public institution of higher education in Texas be merged into one accelerated and integrated developmental reading and writing course. This project examined the effects of that curricular…

This study analyzes the internal and external forces that led to the creation and revisions of a community college's mission statement over the course of its 53-year history. We used discourse-historical analysis to examine published college mission statements, transcripts of interviews with the founding dean of the college, and the college's…

This paper examined how an HSI-STEM grant project at one such college responded, confronting challenges of the transition to an all-online environment head-on and tapping its unexpected benefits. With a focus on STEM student services and programs, two aspects of the situation are analyzed and studied. Facilitating Innovation: STEM administrators…