Discusses how students can maximize their community college education whether they are planning to transfer to a four-year school or are looking for an edge in the job market.

In the United States, 1,200 community colleges enroll over ten million students each year—nearly half of the nation’s undergraduates. Yet fewer than 40 percent of entrants complete an undergraduate degree within six years. This fact has put pressure on community colleges to improve academic outcomes for their students. Redesigning America’s Community Colleges is a concise, evidence-based guide for educational leaders whose institutions typically receive short shrift in academic and policy discussions. It makes a compelling case that two-year colleges can substantially increase their rates of student success, if they are willing to rethink the ways in which they organize programs of study, support services, and instruction. Community colleges were originally designed to expand college enrollments at low cost, not to maximize completion of high-quality programs of study. The result was a cafeteria-style model in which students pick courses from a bewildering array of choices, with little guidance. The authors urge administrators and faculty to reject this traditional model in favor of “guided pathways”—clearer, more educationally coherent programs of study that simplify students’ choices without limiting their options and that enable them to complete credentials and advance to further education and the labor market more quickly and at less cost. Distilling a wealth of data amassed from the Community College Research Center (Teachers College, Columbia University), Redesigning America’s Community Colleges offers a fundamental redesign of the way two-year colleges operate, stressing the integration of services and instruction into more clearly structured programs of study that support every student’s goals.

Maximize your college experience. Follow the track that costs less and pays more. Whether you're looking to transfer to a four-year school or you want an edge in the job market, community college could be your key to success. The question is: How can you make community college work to your advantage? The Community College Advantage: Your Guide to a Low-Cost, High-Reward College Experience is the first community college strategy guide focused on maximizing your college experience. With helpful tips and worksheets, you'll be prepared from the minute you set foot on campus. Optimize your time in community college. Uncover secrets to making the most of your classes, teachers, and peers. Transfer to your dream school. Follow a step-by-step guide to the transfer process and obtain access to the best colleges in the nation. Gain life skills that prepare you for the real world. Apply these tips and techniques to your life after college and see all your hard work pay off.

For more than thirty years, The American Community College has been the go-to reference for faculty, administrators, trustees, state-level officials, and researchers concerned with the role of community colleges in the American educational system, the services they provide, and their effects on students and surrounding communities. Now in its sixth edition, The American Community College includes a new chapter on student outcomes and accountability; a case for reconceptualizing general education around critical thinking, civic engagement, and sustainable development; and an appendix examining the ascendant for-profit sector. The sixth edition also incorporates expanded analyses of recent trends within the community colleges, including vertical expansion; cross-sector collaboration; student and faculty characteristics; enrollment patterns; revenue generation and state allocation patterns, including performance-based funding; distance learning; and statewide efforts to improve transfer and articulation. In addition, the authors include a response to contemporary criticisms of the institution. Comprehensive in scope, the sixth edition of The American Community College is designed for anyone concerned with the role and purpose of community institutions in American higher education. The descriptions and analyses of each of the institution’s functions can be used by administrators who want to learn about practices that have proven successful at other colleges, curriculum planners involved in program revisions, faculty members seeking ideas for modifying their courses, students preparing for careers in community colleges, and trustees and officials concerned with college policies and student progress and outcomes. Each chapter of the book includes guiding questions for reflection and discussion.

This friendly, helpful Q&A book from the editor-in-chief of The Princeton Review presents simple answers to your toughest questions about the college admissions process, figuring out financial aid, and getting into the university of your choice! As The Princeton Review’s chief expert on education, Robert Franek frequently appears on ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX to share his insider expertise on the college admissions process. Each year, he travels to high schools across the country, advising thousands of anxious students and parents on how to turn their college hopes into reality. Now, with College Admission 101, the best of Rob’s wisdom has finally been collected in one place! From standardized tests to financial aid, Rob provides straightforward answers to 60+ of the questions he hears most often, including: · Should I take the ACT or SAT? · When should I start my college research? · How many schools should I apply to? · Will applying Early Decision or Early Action give me a leg up? · Which extracurricular activities do colleges want to see? · How does the financial aid process work? · What’s more important: GPA or test scores?

Community College: Is It Right for You? helps you answer that question realistically. A practical alternative to more expensive four-year colleges and universities, community colleges are hot! At community colleges, you can get fast-track training for high-demand jobs; earn a certificate or an associate's degree; build your skills, confidence, and college credits before transferring to a four-year institution; enhance your abilities for your current job; or re-tool for a career change. Over 11 million students of all ages and backgrounds enroll in community colleges every year. Should you join them? This one-of-a-kind guide helps you decide. It describes the community college experience and covers the benefits of attending a community college, how to apply, how to afford it (including the scoop on financial aid), where a community college education can lead, and more. Whether you're considering community college as a springboard to further education, a launchpad for a promising career, or a way to enhance your skills for today's competitive job market, you'll learn what to expect and what to do if you decide community college is right for you. Packed with practical information, this book includes: * Snapshots—Profiles of and interviews with community college students * Real-Life, Expert Advice—Insights and tips from community college students, faculty, and staff * Fast Facts—Surprising tidbits of information about community colleges * Reality Checks—Helpful questions to ask as you consider your options Community College: Is It Right for You? could be one of the most helpful educational books you'll ever read!

Written by Matthew Reed, the formerly anonymous author of Inside Higher Ed's most popular blog, Confessions of a Community College Dean, this book offers keen insights, a frank discussion, and suggested solutions for the many issues that are unique to community college administration. In Confessions of a Community College Administrator Reed describes the current landscape of community college leadership and addresses some of the fundamental questions that face community colleges. Who does a community college actually serve? How do administrators really make budget decisions? Where do the roots of the "permanent crisis" in higher education lie? How are full-time and adjunct faculty best balanced? Throughout the book, Reed offers guidance and encouragement for the next generation of community college leaders. He examines a set of proposed solutions from outside academia, then turns to other solutions emerging from inside the community college world that also show potential for success. Confessions of a Community College Administrator is filled with realistic, and ultimately hopeful, advice on how to step back from the day-to-day administrative struggles and gain some perspective on the larger picture. Reed offers administrators useful and productive directions for constructive change.