These technical appendices are for the report, "English as a Second Language at California's Community Colleges: An Early Examination of AB 705 Reforms." Assembly Bill 705 (AB 705 Irwin) sought to increase successful completion of transfer-level math and English courses by addressing systemic problems in traditional placement policies…

Many colleges are finding that the use of acceleration in developmental education is a promising direction for improved student progress toward a degree or certificate. Acceleration has been defined in the literature as the reorganization of curricula and instruction in ways that facilitate the completion of educational requirements in an…

Hurricane Katrina reshaped college workforce development programs as thoroughly as it did the coastline--but in this case, the changes were for the good of students, employers and the community. This article discusses the effects and changes made by 4 community colleges who were effected by Hurricane Katrina: (1) Louisiana Community and Technical…

This paper outlines the development of practical measures of productive persistence using digital learning system data. Practical measurement refers to data collection and analysis approaches originating from improvement science; productive persistence refers to the combination of academic and social mindsets as well as learning behaviours that…

This chapter focuses on a unique transfer population, international transfer students, and depicts their demographic backgrounds, academic interests and performance, as well as enrollment trends in the past decade.

This quantitative study examined first-time-in-college students' (FTIC) perceptions of a first- year-experience program, "Transition Course". The study used survey methodological techniques to examine variables and answer research questions. The theoretical frameworks for this study were based on the conceptualization of student success:…

Weak connections between students and their academic and social environment can hinder commitment and lead to departure (Deil-Amen, 2011; Karp, Hughes, & O'Gara, 2010). Given their influence on college retention and completion, higher levels of academic and social integration should be a priority. Rather than focus on why students leave, it is…

As President of Broward College, the author is proud of the honors education that has been offered to students since 1982. Two-year colleges play a crucial role in higher education, having experienced extensive growth in the past few decades and with honors as an important part of that growth. Broward College was founded in 1960 to support the…

Every year, Lone Star College in Texas hosts a "Men of Honor" program to provide assistance and programming to male students, but particularly those who are Hispanic and black, in hopes their academic performance will improve. Lone Star might have kept directing its limited resources toward these students--and totally missed the subset…

An emerging trend today is the increased enrollment of international students at community colleges. International students look to American community colleges as a steppingstone to achieving an education that might otherwise be beyond their reach. They are attracted to the community college by the lower tuition costs, opportunities for guaranteed…

This paper estimates the earnings returns to vocational, or career-technical, education programs in the nation's largest community college system. While career-technical education (CTE) programs have often been mentioned as an attractive alternative to four-year colleges for some students, very little systematic evidence exists on the returns to…

The nonprofit consortium "California Colleges for International Education" (CCIE) is a working example of how a formal association involving community colleges uses collaboration to achieve a fundamental goal of increasing student awareness of international issues through study abroad programs. For over 30 years, CCIE members have worked…

This report provides a contribution to the growing public policy debate around how to combat structural inequality by quantifying the power of community college as a pathway to economic mobility. Until recently, it has been difficult to accurately estimate the return to a community college education in Massachusetts because numerous factors affect…

Colleges across the California Community College (CCC) system have been preparing for changes to their assessment and placement processes associated with the required implementation of Assembly Bill (AB) 705. While many initiatives were already underway to increase students' completion of their education, including Guided Pathways and the Student…

Improving the outcomes of students in developmental or remedial math remains a puzzle in higher education. Concerns with low persistence and completion rates have motivated proponents of reform to reconsider the delivery of developmental math. Lengthening the amount of time in math is thought to be an intervention that improves academic…