The ideal learning center is, in essence, a living definition of competency-based education. Such a center has the capability of meeting the diverse needs of adult school students while at the same time raising the coping skills or competencies of its participants on an individualized basis. (Author)

After introductory material outlining some of the major challenges facing community colleges today, this paper examines the efforts undertaken by Chabot College, California, to meet the demands of the problems posed by "new students" and fiscal constraints. Described first are Chabot's two mastery learning centers, at which students…