This book analyzes many federal, state, and institutional policies that affect community colleges at the turning of the 21st century, due to recent government attention on workforce development and the fact that community colleges are now seen as valuable pieces of national policy. The authors look into historical and cultural aspects of policy that affect community colleges, such as state governance structures, federal policies, and the impact of globalization.

This book offers a brief overview of the history and the important role of community colleges in the U.S. and describes some of the political and societal influences that prompted their development. Various themes relating to the community college mission are discussed, including access and equity, comprehensive services, community needs, and lifelong learning. This work examines the programs and curricula common to community colleges, provides an overview of funding sources and governance, and profiles students and faculty. Chapter 1, The Community College, provides a brief overview (contains 2 tables). Chapter 2, The Mission, contains subsections titled Open Access and Equity, Comprehensiveness, Community-Based, Teaching and Learning, and Fostering Lifelong Learning. Chapter 3, Implementing the Mission, discusses College Transfer Programs, Occupational-Technical Programs, Developmental Education, and college services (contains 3 tables, 1 figure). Chapter 4, Students and Faculty, contains seven figures. Chapter 5, Funding and Governance, contains one figure. Chapter 6, A History of Innovation, describes the rise of community colleges in the past 100 years. Chapter 7, A New Century, discusses future roles, trends, and expectations. Appendices include milestones in community college history, 22 suggested readings, and 13 Internet resources. (RDG)

This book provides a comprehensive picture of how faculty teaching evaluation can be improved, and focuses on improving faculty teaching in two-year colleges. Chapter 1 discusses ways and means for assessing an institution's climate for evaluating, improving, and judging faculty performance. Chapter 2 focuses on teaching, also discussing the importance of having statements of institutional values and operational policies and procedures that are related to evaluation. Chapter 3 addresses the response to the growing impact of part-time faculty on the overall quality of instruction in two-year colleges today. Its goal is to ensure that adjunct instructors receive evaluation and development efforts that are both appropriate and helpful. Chapter 4 is about designing faculty evaluation systems. Chapter 5 focuses on improving teaching performance, and applies to new and experienced faculty members alike. Chapter 6 discusses designing and implementing professional improvement programs, including organizational patterns and models. Chapter 7 focuses on making decisions on instructional personnel. Chapter 8 looks into preparing instructors for the next century, outlining seven futures and seven decade needs that will impact significantly upon future thinking and planning for improving faculty performance into the twenty-first century. An epilogue adds perspective, and a number of appendices provide valuable supplementary materials to the chapters in the text. (Contains 160 references.) (VWC)

Drawing on data from the 1993 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty, this analysis sought to differentiate instructional faculty and staff at public two-year colleges by age (under 35 vs. 55-64) and by years of experience in the current job (under 10 years vs. 20 or more years). The report examines differences by primary teaching field, comparing respondents in seven areas: business, law, and communications; health sciences; humanities; natural sciences and engineering; social sciences and education; vocational training; and all other areas. There were two major differences between younger and older instructional faculty and staff: (1) the two groups represent individuals who are at different stages of their careers and (2) their employment histories differed. Some of the differences between those who have held their current jobs for less than 10 years and those who have held their jobs for 20 or more years mirror the differences between younger and older colleagues. Comparisons by primary teaching field suggest the presence of disciplinary subcultures within the community college professorate. The discipline appears to have a clear relationship with instruction, especially in terms of literacy (as reflected in the assignment of term papers or the use of written examinations) and student involvement in classroom instruction (as reflected in the use of teacher lectures). (Contains 16 references.) (VWC)

The National Profile of Community Colleges comprises text and charts that provide an overview of American community colleges. The report highlights major issues concerning community colleges and provides detailed representation of trends in enrollment, funding, and other areas. Chapter 1 recounts the history of community colleges and summarizes important current issues. Chapter 2 discusses student characteristics. Chapter 3 describes student and community outcomes as measured by indicators such as degrees and certificates awarded, employment data, and cost-benefit analysis. Chapter 4 describes community college staffing and discusses changes due to large numbers of staff retirements and increases in adjunct faculty. Chapter 5 discusses finances, expenditures, and revenues. Chapter 6 discusses the future implications of technology for community colleges. The statistics presented in this report are drawn from a variety of sources, including AACC surveys, scholars, and the U.S. Department of Education. (Contains 63 tables, 38 figures, and 45 references.) (AUTH/RDG)

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1999 Books

Community Colleges as Cultural Texts: Qualitative Explorations of Organizational and Student Culture. SUNY Series, Frontiers in Education. (ED434698)
Shaw, Kathleen M., Ed.; Valadez, James R., Ed.; Rhoads, Robert A., Ed
Published: 1999
ISBN-0-7914-4290-X
Available for $17.95 from CUP Services, 750 Cascadilla Street, P.O. Box 6525, Ithaca, NY 14851. Phone 607-277-2211; Fax 607-277-6292.

This book, part of the Frontiers in Education series from the State University of New York, depicts community colleges as "cultural texts," addressing the question of whether, and how, community colleges confront the challenges of diversity and provide equal opportunities for upward mobility. Its ten chapters include: (1) "Community Colleges as Cultural Texts: A Conceptual Overview" (Kathleen M. Shaw, Robert A. Rhoads, and James R. Valadez); (2) "Cultures of Support for At-Risk Students: The Role of Social and Emotional Capital in the Educational Experiences of Women" (Dennis McGrath and William Van Buskirk); (3) "The Struggle for Mobility in the Contact Zone of Basic Writing" (Stanford T. Goto); (4) "Navigating the Raging River: Reconciling Issues of Identity, Inclusion, and Administrative Practice" (Marilyn J. Amey); (5) "Preparing for Work in a Post-Industrial World: Resistance and Compliance to the Ideological Messages of a Community College" (James R. Valadez); (6) "The Politics of Culture and Identity: Contrasting Images of Multiculturalism and Monoculturalism" (Robert A. Rhoads); (7) "'Be a Name, Not a Number': The Role of Cultural and Social Capital in the Transfer Process" (Armando Trujillo and Eusebio Diaz); (8) "Defining the Self: Constructions of Identity in Community College Students" (Kathleen M. Shaw); (9) "Celebratory Socialization of Culturally Diverse Students Through Academic Programs and Support Services" (Berta Vigil Laden); and (10) "Toward a New Vision of the Multicultural Community College for the Next Century" (Laura I. Rendon). (Contains descriptions of contributors and an index.) (EMH)

The thesis of the book is that the problems community colleges face were inherent from the beginning and became more prominent because the particular vantage points from which the schools were viewed prohibited the taking of any action on the problems. Chapter one presents a portrait of what the colleges have become, establishing the governing metaphor of the book: the community college as the Wal-Mart of higher education. Chapter two presents the basic idea that this monograph uses to govern the examination of the community college systems theory. In chapter three, the conditions and events that led to the unchecked growth of the community college are examined. Chapter four discusses the academic and vocational-technical faculty, showing that a split has always been present between them and that, in truth, neither of them works in exactly the same school. Chapter five concentrates on part-time faculty, which on some campuses, outnumbers full-time. Chapter six examines the reason for teachers: students. Chapter seven looks at the administration of the schools. Finally, chapter eight attempts to put on the table a few ideas that will help us move toward solutions. From the perspective of a teacher that enjoys being part of a community college, this is a book that constructively critiques the two-year institution as it now exists. Contains 76 references. (VWC)

Enrollment simulation and planning (ESP) is centered on the use of statistical models to describe how and why college enrollments fluctuate. College planners may use this approach with confidence to simulate any number of plausible future scenarios. Planners can then set a variety of possible college actions against these scenarios, and examine the results of projected future enrollments for their planning implications. This book begins with an introduction that explains three lines of inquiry--environmental scanning, enrollment determination, and enrollment management--that provide conceptual background for ESP and help to highlight the differences between manageable and unmanageable factors. Examples from case studies are presented throughout the book to illustrate the ESP model. Part 1, "Studying Enrollment," begins with ways to identify a community college's key enrollment trends, students' enrollment behavior, how factors within and outside the college's control affect enrollment, and what is and should be the college's market penetration. Part 2, "Forecasting, Simulating, and Planning," discusses how ESP can be useful in predicting how changes will have their intended effects, given that some important determinants of enrollments are outside the college's control. (This book contains 25 figures, 5 tables, 3 appendices, an index, and 30 references.) (VWC)

This book provides a comprehensive guide for faculty on concepts related to moving teaching and learning to an interactive and collaborative Web-based environment. The authors focus on integrating technological concepts with teaching and learning. In addition, the authors introduce issues and perspectives for the future surrounding teaching and learning via the Web. This book is particularly valuable for community college faculty who currently teach or will be teaching in a Web environment. Its content and format will allow educators to easily apply the information provided in the design, development, and delivery of Web courses. (AUTH)

This qualitative study of community college faculty, based on classroom observation and interviews of 257 instructors and 60 administrators at 32 community colleges across the country, was undertaken to explore what "teaching looks like in a teaching college." The researchers were especially interested in the collective nature of teaching: the influence of peer networks, and the culture and incentives that exist within the colleges. The authors conclude that there is a "great divide" in community colleges, which advertise themselves as teaching institutions, but do little to improve the quality of instruction. Two overall findings about the lives of teachers are presented: instructors are overloaded, often teaching 5 classes at a time and having to grade papers and quizzes for 150 students; and they are isolated, partly out of respect for academic freedom, partly out of the proliferation of part-time faculty and lecturers, and partly because of the lack of activities to draw them together around teaching. Opportunities for learning communities and collaborative teaching are found to be rare, and staff development activities are formulaic, contrived, and often not focused on teaching. Myriad examples are provided, often in the instructor's words, of both good and bad teaching practices. Recommendations are made for improving the teaching culture of the community colleges, including revised personnel practices, greater administrative commitment to teaching, and the development of in-service education and staff development. (CAK)

This book is designed to impart advice to students or potential students on how to be successful at the community college. Chapter 1 discusses the major strengths and weaknesses of community colleges. Strengths include low cost, convenient location, service mission, student-centered learning environment, flexibility, and open admissions. Weaknesses identified are high percentages of part-time faculty, lower academic credentials of faculty, underprepared students, and fewer social activities. Chapter 2 discusses preliminary concerns for potential students to consider such as academic forgiveness policies, college accreditation, obtaining outside course credits, financial aid, course placement, and costs of supplies and books. Chapter 3 offers advice on selecting courses and programs of study. Chapter 4 is devoted to academic success and achievement. The author describes skills and behaviors that are correlated with achievement such as attendance, note taking, critical thinking, participation in study groups, use of office hours, syllabus evaluation and writing ability. Chapter 5 describes important people at the community college including counselors, faculty, advisory committees, and student organizations. Chapter 6 outlines common problems that a student might face such as improper faculty or student behavior, harassment, due process, and plagiarism. Chapter 7 provides information on job placement and lists the fastest growing careers. The book contains an appendix that lists accredited two-year colleges in the U.S., by state. (RDG)

This book examines 250 two-year colleges, whose student bodies either consist of all women or 25% of a particular racial or ethnic minority, i.e., African-American, Hispanic, or Native American. Such schools represent examples of the ways in which female and minority students can achieve success in today's institutions, and also shows that a commitment to providing access to these schools benefits the student's progress. Special-focus colleges like these include tribal colleges, church-affiliated schools, historically black colleges (HBC's), and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HIS's). This book includes case studies for various types of two-year special-focus schools, and analyzes specific characteristics of these institutions that help students succeed.

This book presents a longitudinal study of the presidency, with regard to presidents' age, ethnicity, gender, political affiliation, position held before first presidency, and other background information. Beginning with a brief history of community colleges in the United States, the book goes on to provide a personal profile of the public community college presidency, based on the survey responses. The issue of women and minorities in the community college presidency is discussed, as is the importance of each president establishing and maintaining a relationship with the faculty and governing board. Finally, challenges facing community college leaders at the millennium are explored. (AUTH)

This book employs an insider's perspective to develop a critical analysis of the role played by the community college. The author's goal was to understand community college culture and to document community college students' life circumstances so that educational reforms, both structural and instructional changes, can be crafted to better serve their needs. The text touches on many of the social and educational issues that community college faculty, administrators, researchers, and policymakers must confront. (AUTH)