For 8 years Washington State has operated a performance funding policy, the Student Achievement Initiative (SAI). The policy allocates appropriations to the state's 34 community and technical colleges based on points earned through student achievement of college-readiness, retention, and completion milestones. Grounded in a conceptual framework of…

Over the years, a number of interventions aimed at increasing student engagement and performance have been implemented in higher education. Some of these, labeled high-impact practices (HIPs), when done well, have led to documented evidence of student success. Two approaches that have been identified as HIPs--first-year seminars and learning…

This special issue of Research in Comparative and International Education investigates the spread and development of two-year and community college institutions worldwide. While not all post-secondary education falls within the scope or definition of community colleges, both post-secondary and community college education tend to serve the needs of…

"Online Nation: Five Years of Growth in Online Learning" represents the fifth annual report on the state of online learning in U.S. higher education. This year's study, like those for the previous four years, is aimed at answering some of the fundamental questions about the nature and extent of online education. Supported by the Alfred…

Describes a study conducted to review the status of educational guarantees in two-year colleges and identify restrictions and processes associated with their implementation. Indicates that 87% of the colleges had adopted occupational guarantees and 68% adopted transfer guarantees and that colleges are using guarantees to improve institutional…

This is a report on a best practices conference conducted by the New Jersey Council of Community Colleges. The conference was designed to allow the 19 state community colleges to share their most valuable innovations, programs, services, and other ideas for enhancing community college instruction, administration, and overall effectiveness. The…

Presents a review of current ERIC documents concerning student assessment practices at community colleges and related issues. Discusses external pressures and challenges for assessment, frameworks and techniques in use, and the importance of recognizing student diversity and maintaining institutional support for assessment efforts. (44 citations)…

A study examined the impact that the United Auto Workers' (UAW) Joint Funds programs, established in the early 1980s, have had upon the policies and practices of selected community colleges in the Midwest. Each of the three UAW Joint Funds programs (Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler) offers a wide array of special programs to active and inactive…

Intended for community college administrators, governing boards, and other leaders interested in strengthening their institutions and communities, this monograph chronicles the experiences of five pilot colleges implementing the community-based programming (CBP) model of the Academy for Community College Leadership Advancement, Innovation, and…

Focusing on the role of community colleges in implementing the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994, the 12 essays in this volume describe strategies and practices developed by colleges to address the provisions of the Act and help develop a global workforce. The following articles are provided: "Assessing the Community College Role in…

This guide provides information and guidelines to community college personnel who are administering and coordinating programs designed to prepare paraprofessionals to work with individuals with developmental disabilities in community settings. The guide is specifically for individuals managing the "Paraprofessional Curriculum for Community…

In August 1993, J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, in Virginia, undertook a study of developmental education (DE) practices in community colleges in Virginia and the other 14 member states of the Southern Regional Education Board to determine factors associated with program effectiveness. Surveys were mailed to the presidents of 313 two-year…

Representatives of 11 organizations playing a leading role in agricultural education (AE) attended a conference to discuss their vision of AE in the year 2000. During the conference, the issues of greatest concern to AE were prioritized, specific strategies/solutions to accomplish each priority were identified, an action plan to achieve desired…

Although about 53% of public higher education students are enrolled in community colleges, the proportion of students with disabilities served by the community colleges is about 71%. According to a 1995 survey of 672 community colleges across the United States, approximately 8% of students reported a disability and about half of those requested…

This document consists of the materials presented at a one-day workshop dealing with a new concept in articulation between secondary and postsecondary institutions that involves two years of pretechnology education at the secondary level and two years of training in any one of a number of technical and high-technology fields at the postsecondary…