This digest offers general information about American community colleges and lists a variety of sources of additional information about these institutions. The digest provides the defining characteristics of community colleges and information on their curricula; statistics on enrollments and student characteristics; information on faculty…

This digest offers general information about American community colleges and lists a variety of sources of additional information about these institutions. The digest provides the defining characteristics of community colleges and information on their curricula; statistics on enrollments and student characteristics; information on faculty…

This digest explores the community college's mission to increase student attendance and performance by improving faculty diversity. Community colleges are filled with multicultural, diverse students who bring different knowledge and skills to educational institutions. These students are also attracted to the community college for different…

This ERIC Digest provides an overview of tribal colleges and universities (TCUs), including a discussion of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), TCU curriculum, institutional funding, student demographics, and the role of TCUs in developing local economies. The AIHEC was founded in 1972 and currently represents 32 TCUs. The…

This digest is drawn from "Understanding the Impact of Reverse Transfer Students on Community Colleges," a "New Directions for Community Colleges" volume. Reverse transfer student characteristics, reasons for non-traditional transfer patterns, and implications for community colleges are discussed. Reverse transfers are students…

Within the community college setting, counselors in counseling centers have historically provided academic advising, career guidance, and personal counseling. Today, however, the profile of the typical community college student is very different from that of the student of 40 years ago, when counseling centers originated. Today's community college…

Recent trends in immigration and foreign student enrollments are placing a growing demand on community colleges for English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction. A 1991 study of course sections at 164 two-year colleges nationwide revealed that ESL had grown from 30% of all foreign language courses offered in 1983 to 51% in 1991, and that the…

While numerous studies have examined the demographic, social, and economic characteristics of two-year college students, a composite profile for the approximately 4.5 million credit students at the nation's two-year colleges is more difficult to come by. Within certain limitations, however, a profile can be developed of these students. Two-year…

The fine and performing arts have long been a part of the two-year college curriculum, though the organizational structures of the colleges have afforded these courses limited visibility and widely varying roles within the curriculum. In 1987, a study was conducted by the Center for the Study of Community Colleges to determine the goals and…

Factors that affect the attainment of a bachelor's degree by urban students are outlined. The demographic profile of American school children makes it clear that problems for urban colleges and universities will grow in the years ahead. There is a correlation between income and education achievement; low income students do not achieve, persist, or…

Community colleges are publicly supported institutions offering comprehensive programs of career-related, remedial, and freshman and sophomore studies, along with community services. Technical institutes, on the other hand, primarily offer preparation for technological occupations, while junior colleges focus primarily on freshman and sophomore…

A review is provided of statewide and institutional data reflecting the magnitude and causes of the reverse transfer phenomenon. First, data from California, North Carolina, Illinois, Missouri, and Minnesota are presented, contrasting the numbers of students who transfer from two- to four-year colleges to the sometimes greater number of students…

This digest reviews the role of community colleges in delivering remedial education. With demand for remediation increasing, community colleges are under pressure to provide, with very limited financial resources, the bulk of developmental courses for students. In finding effective solutions to this dilemma, policy makers should consider a broad…