Restructuring of schools by means of revising the school calendar from the traditional 9-month calendar to a year-round calendar is one reform idea proposed to meet the diverse abilities and needs of students. Considering the sweeping changes influenced by No Child Left Behind and the trend toward excellence in education, this research focused…

A study of rural community colleges in Minnesota and Michigan was conducted to determine to what extent the colleges were fulfilling their stated purposes, whether Minnesota's centralized state community college system is as responsive to community needs as Michigan's decentralized system, and the major criteria identified by community college…

The "Access to Democracy" project has two broad goals. It is an effort to understand community beliefs, attitudes and conditions that shape educational outcomes for community youth, and it is a way to focus community discussions on efforts that support higher educational attainment for residents. This report focuses on the lessons…

In March 1987, a telephone survey was conducted of a cross-section of 800 adult citizens in Michigan to determine their opinions about Michigan's public community colleges. The survey gathered information on the importance of a college education, reasons for attending college, schools best suited for a particular type of training or education,…

In May 1989, a telephone survey was conducted of a random sample of 800 adults in Michigan to assess public opinion toward Michigan's community and junior colleges. Study findings included the following: (1) 88% of the respondents felt that a college education was "very important"; (2) if Michigan adults were to go back to school, the…