Community colleges enroll half of the nation’s undergraduates. Yet only 40 percent of entrants complete an undergraduate degree in six years. Redesigning America’s Community Colleges explains how two-year colleges can increase their students’ success rate quickly and at less cost, through a program of guided pathways to completion.

Can the U.S. keep its dominant economic position in the world economy with only 30% of its population holding bachelor’s degrees? If the majority of U.S. citizens lack a higher education, can the U.S. live up to its democratic principles and preserve its political institutions? These questions raise the critical issue of access to higher education, central to which are America’s open-access, low-cost community colleges that enroll around half of all first-time freshmen in the U.S. Can these institutions bridge the gap, and how might they do so? The answer is complicated by multiple missions—gateways to 4-year colleges, providers of occupational education, community services, and workforce development, as well as of basic skills instruction and remediation.To enable today’s administrators and policy makers to understand and contextualize the complexity of the present, this history describes and analyzes the ideological, social, and political motives that led to the creation of community colleges, and that have shaped their subsequent development. In doing so, it fills a large void in our knowledge of these institutions.The “junior college,” later renamed the “community college” in the 1960s and 1970s, was originally designed to limit access to higher education in the name of social efficiency. Subsequently leaders and communities tried to refashion this institution into a tool for increased social mobility, community organization, and regional economic development. Thus, community colleges were born of contradictions, and continue to be an enigma. This history examines the institutionalization process of the community college in the United States, casting light on how this educational institution was formed, for what purposes, and how has it evolved. It uncovers the historically conditioned rules, procedures, rituals, and ideas that ordered and defined the particular educational structure of these colleges; and focuses on the individuals, organizations, ideas, and the larger political economy that contributed to defining the community college’s educational missions, and have enabled or constrained this institution from enacting those missions. He also sets the history in the context of the contemporary debates about access and effectiveness, and traces how these colleges have responded to calls for accountability from the 1970s to the present.Community colleges hold immense promise if they can overcome their historical legacy and be re-institutionalized with unified missions, clear goals of educational success, and adequate financial resources. This book presents the history in all its complexity so that policy makers and practitioners might better understand the constraints of the past in an effort to realize the possibilities of the future.

America’s community colleges are experiencing the most creative and substantive period of transformation in their 118-year history. There has never been so much research, so much support from foundations, and so much commitment from national leaders to reimagine community colleges for today and for the future. 13 Ideas that Are Transforming the Community College World, edited by Terry U. O’Banion, is the seminal work that captures the major ideas faced by community college leaders in this period of transformation. The book includes 23 authors representing 12 national organizations, perhaps the most significant and substantive list of individuals ever to participate in an edited book on the community college. Each author is a nationally-recognized authority on his or her chapter, and all have played major roles as leaders of national organizations.

For much of the twentieth century, the definition of success for most community colleges revolved around student retention and graduation. This definition no longer works—if it ever did. In Student Success in the Community College: What Really Works? respected community college leaders, researchers, and innovators argue that student success is about redesigning community colleges in a manner that is consistent with each college’s mission, goals, student population, and resources. Concluding that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to increasing student success, chapter authors analyze national, state, and regional efforts to increase student success; identify principles institutions can use to frame student success initiatives; and outline specific actions community colleges can take to increase student—and institutional—success. Student Success in the Community College: What Really Works? also provides concrete examples of effective student success initiatives in a variety of community college settings.

As United States policymakers and national leaders are increasing their attention to producing workers skilled in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), community colleges are being called on to address persistence of minorities in these disciplines. In this important volume, contributors discuss the role of community colleges in facilitating access and success to racial and ethnic minority students in STEM. Chapters explore how community colleges can and do facilitate the STEM pipeline, as well as the experiences of these students in community college, including how psychological factors, developmental coursework, expertiential learning, and motivation affect student success. Community Colleges and STEM ultimately provides recommendations to help increase retention and persistence. This important book is a crucial resource for higher education institutions and community colleges as they work to advance success among racial and ethnic minorities in STEM education.

Overall, nearly half of all incoming community college students “drop-out” within twelve months of enrolling, with students of color and the economically disadvantaged faring far worse. Given the high proportion of underserved students these colleges enroll, the detrimental impact on their communities, and for the national economy as a whole at a time of diversifying demographics, is enormous.This book addresses this urgent issue by bringing together nationally recognized researchers whose work throws light on the structural and systemic causes of student attrition, as well as college presidents and leaders who have successfully implemented strategies to improve student outcomes.The book is divided into five sections, each devoted to a demographic group: African Americans, Native Americans/American Indians, Latino Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and Caucasian students in poverty. Each section in turn comprises three chapters, the first providing an up-to-date summary of research findings about barriers and attainments pertaining to the corresponding population, the second the views of a community college president, and the final chapter offering a range of models and best practices for achieving student success.The analyses--descriptions of cutting edge programs--and recommendations for action will commend this volume to everyone concerned about equity and completion rates in the community college sector, from presidents and senior administrators through faculty and student affairs leaders. For educational researchers, it fills blanks on data about attrition and persistence patterns of minority students attending community colleges.ContributorsKenneth AtwaterGlennda M. BivensEdward BushCara CrowleyMaria Harper-MarinickJoan B. HolmesG. Edward HughesLee LambertCynthia Lindquist, Ta’Sunka Wicahpi Win (Star Horse Woman)Angela LongRussell Lowery-HartJamillah MooreChristopher M. MullinBrian MurphyEduardo J. PadrónDeborah A. SantiagoWei SongRobert TeranishiRowena M. TomanengJames UtterbackJ. Luke Wood

A comprehensive analysis of community colleges in the United States—updated with the latest research The revised seventh edition of The American Community College is an essential resource for practitioners and graduate students in the field of higher education. This book has been providing up-to-date information and statistics about community colleges for four decades and is a trusted and revered reference. Covering community college students, faculty, curriculum, assessment, finance, governance, and more, this book provide a thorough understanding of the role community colleges play in the American educational system. For educators, policymakers, and philanthropists alike, community colleges are important as the nexus of national efforts to prepare a highly skilled workforce and as the lynchpin of the K-20 education pipeline. This book delivers the facts and context readers need to make informed decisions in the community college space. Written by leading researchers in the field, The American Community College has been thoroughly revised with a greater focus on equity. Further, this edition includes access to online supplemental materials, including end-of-chapter guiding questions and a guide for transitioning from the 6th to the 7th edition. Additional updates include coverage of collaborations with community, economic, and workforce development organizations; a greater focus on entrepreneurship and innovation; recent efforts to improve student persistence and attainment through guided pathways and equity-minded student supports; and the growing emphasis on preparing a skilled workforce via noncredit training, credit for prior learning, micro-credentials, and community college baccalaureate programs. Readers of The American Community College will: Benefit from a comprehensive analysis of the most recent findings and up-to-date information on the American community college. Find completely revised and updated information about recent changes in the community college landscape Obtain current information on student access and outcomes, instruction, student services, and curricular functions Learn from updated tables and graphs that reflect the most current data and incorporate new examples of the services that colleges provide Since it was first published in 1982, The American Community College has become the primary resource that faculty, administrators, trustees, and researchers look to for information on these quintessentially American institutions.