The bachelor's degree remains a fundamental path to economic opportunity in the United States. Critical for policymakers, then, is ensuring equitable access to such benefits--a task often constrained by long-standing structural barriers. One of the most obvious structural impediments for bachelor's degree-aspirants in California (CA) is the…

Nationally, more than 75% of individuals who are credentialed to teach are prepared in traditional college- or university-based teacher education programs (TEPs). But the college and employment pathways that prospective teachers take to TEP enrollment and completion have not been comprehensively examined. A better understanding of how credentialed…

Community college early childhood education programs prepare students for a career path that enjoys plenty of demand, although that's at least in part due to low wages that make hiring and retaining good workers a challenge. That challenge has become more acute during the COVID-19 pandemic, given the literally hands-on nature of the work. Demand…

Providing opportunities for students to engage in undergraduate research is well supported as a high-impact educational practice. Shifting research experience earlier in the undergraduate career provides opportunities for more students to yield gains (both personal and professional) earlier in their career. At the Ocean Research College Academy…

In response to the Affordable Care Act of 2010 and the changing health care needs of the 21st century, the Institute of Medicine recommended that 80% of the registered nursing (RN) workforce should have their baccalaureate degree or higher by the year 2020. The College of Nursing at Washington State University (WSU) offers an accredited, online…

Objective/Research Question: The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which programs offering community college baccalaureates (CCBs) address access and equity for underrepresented racial minorities (URMs). The study first aimed to understand how administrators described the purpose of CCBs with regard to advancing equity for URMs.…

Indiana, Oklahoma, and Washington have programs designed to address college enrollment and completion gaps by offering a promise of state-based college financial aid to low-income middle school students in exchange for making a pledge to do well in high school, be a good citizen, not be convicted of a felony, and apply for financial aid to…

Many Virginians aspiring to earn a four-year degree intentionally begin their journey at one of the 23 community colleges within the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). In concert with those aspirations, the VCCS is committed to providing its residents an affordable and accessible program of study that prepares them to transfer and earn a…

Nationally, more than 75% of individuals who are credentialed to teach are prepared in traditional college- or university-based teacher education programs (TEPs). But the college and employment pathways that prospective teachers take to TEP enrollment and completion have not been comprehensively examined. A better understanding of how credentialed…

Complimenting an earlier data note on enrollment by Meza (2019) [see Data Note 2, ED608169], results of this data note examine the completion rates of students in Community College Baccalaureate (CCB) programs in Washington state by program area and student demographics. We find CCB degree completion rates are rising and now approach the…

This descriptive report is the eighth iteration of the biennial transfer progress report required by the Washington State Legislature. The report: (1) Monitors progress on the following transfer effectiveness indicators (number of students earning transfer degrees over time and median quarter credits earned toward a bachelor's degree by transfer…

Community and technical colleges in Washington state were early adopters in the growing trend to offer bachelor's degrees, actively expanding these degrees over the last 15 years. This study describes the evolving state policy landscape on community college baccalaureate (CCB) degrees in Washington in certain programs previously classified as…

This study examines employment and earnings outcomes for Bachelor's of Applied Science (BAS) degree-holders who graduated from a Washington community and technical college baccalaureate (CCB) program in business, computer and information sciences, healthcare, and visual and performing arts. These graduates are compared to graduates from public…

This report is an update to the Washington Student Achievement Council's (WSAC) 2019 Transfer Report (see ED606179). WSAC submits a biennial progress report to the Washington state legislature that examines transfer associate degree effectiveness over time. As recommended by the 2019 report, this update is the first step toward applying an equity…

This data note presents results from qualitative interviews with Community College Baccalaureate (CCB) students in Washington state. We use in-depth, longitudinal interview data to describe three CCB students' experiences prior to CCB-program enrollment and through their programs to graduation and employment. The three students we profile credit…