This chapter addresses critical issues related to the transfer success of women and underrepresented minorities (URMs) in STEM disciplines and will highlight implications for fostering a successful transfer experience for these populations. For the purposes of this chapter, URMs is defined by the National Science Foundation to include African…

This is a report on the Los Angeles Transfer and Retention of Urban Community College Students (TRUCCS) Project, which tracks approximately 5,000 community college students from nine campuses of the Los Angeles Community College District in order to gather information on retention and persistence. The project also investigates urban community…

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…

Provides citations to documents from the ERIC collection dealing with: the future of the community college; general education; vocational education; transfer education; community education and services; education for adult, nontraditional, and underprepared students; lifelong learning; reverse transfers; minority education; student objectives; and…

This is a report on the measurements of institutional effectiveness indicators at Northern Virginia Community College from 1992 to 1997. The report looks at the following indicators: (1) persistence rate of first-time students; (2) persistence rate of full-time first-time students; (3) persistence rate of part-time first-time students; (4)…

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'…

This is a report on the 1998 performance accountability assessment conducted by Howard Community College (HCC) (Maryland) to examine overall institutional effectiveness. Enrollment trends show that more students are attending HCC, which will require more facility space, instructors, and student support. HCC addresses this issue by offering more…

Community colleges serve more than half of all entering freshmen, half of all the women seeking higher education, and more minorities than all of the 4-year colleges and universities combined. Serving this population, the leaders and policy makers of community colleges must recognize the reasons for the underrepresentation of minorities in college…

Community colleges account for over half of the ethnic minority enrollments in America, and a controversy has developed over how well these students are being served. On one hand, community colleges are praised for providing open access to higher education. Critics, however, claim that community colleges track minority students into low level…

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,…