This monograph on quality in early childhood programs contains two parts: an exploratory essay on the subject and an annotated bibliography selected from a search of the ERIC data base from 1985 through April 1993. The essay examines five perspectives on assessing the quality of early childhood programs. A top-down perspective on quality…

This digest defines interdisciplinary courses, presents the benefits and challenges of offering them in the community college, and describes six existing interdisciplinary courses at community colleges around the country. Interdisciplinary courses are characterized by the following: they tend to be highly innovative; they incorporate concepts and…

In spring 1984, as part of a larger study of transfer education in urban community colleges, the Center for the Study of Community Colleges conducted a survey to analyze faculty involvement in the transfer function. A questionnaire was distributed to 444 randomly selected faculty members teaching transfer courses at 24 colleges, requesting…

The Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) of 1990 was adopted after the Kentucky Supreme Court declared the state's system of schools unconstitutional. The purpose of this study was to identify the sources of information about KERA and to describe community attitudes toward KERA in rural Kentucky school districts during the first few months the law…

Some misconceptions surround youth organizations and their contribution to career and occupational development. The first myth is that student youth organizations have diminishing value to today's vocational education students. The truth is that vocational educators have identified strong vocational student organizations (VSOs) as an essential…

Community college students are dropping courses at increasing rates at substantial costs to their institutions and themselves. Subsequently, numerous studies have been conducted to investigate this trend, the factors that influence it, and ways of reversing it. A recent study revealed that the most frequently cited reason for course withdrawal was…

One of the main obstacles to effective faculty evaluation is the inability to reach consensus on the evaluation's intended purpose. On one hand, faculty evaluation has a formative purpose, supporting faculty development, growth, and self-improvement, while it also has a summative purpose in that it provides data to make personnel decisions on…

Eight issues concerning academic freedom are discussed. The issues are: (1) the question of who should have the right to decide what should be taught; (2) the extent to which school districts should impose specific restrictions on subjects discussed in the classroom; (3) the controversy over the rights of teachers to refuse to teach content that…

Dedicated to the memory of Raymond E. Schultz, the essays in this monograph discuss the role of the community college in serving minority students. An introductory essay by Fred F. Harcleroad summarizes Schultz's contributions to community college education. John E. Roueche then discusses the provision of equal educational opportunity to…

Offering new perspectives on community college faculty recruitment and training, and on the renewal of current faculty, this journal issue contains articles on preservice training, faculty development, and teacher improvement. The following 10 chapters are included: (1) "Quo Vadis: Staffing the People's College 2000," by Michael H. Parsons, which…

In an effort to promote greater student participation (especially among women and minorities) in science courses and programs, a study of science education in the Los Angeles Community College District was conducted. The primary objectives of the study were, first, to describe students' course-taking patterns, science background, and attitudes…

Designed to assist program planners and administrators at community colleges in initiating a Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) program or determining the future direction of one already in existence, this sourcebook provides 15 articles on various aspects of WAC theory and practice. The following articles are included: (1) "History of WAC and…

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), with the establishment and promulgation of standards for the reform of teaching and learning mathematics, has furnished the leadership and the impetus toward the achievement of a vision of affording a high-quality mathematics education for all of the nation's children. Published in March…

To determine the differences between the professional attitudes of full- and part-time instructors, this study was conducted on a national sample of community college faculty. The study's research design examined the attitudes expressed by faculty members on five dimensions discerned from the sociological literature on professionalism: knowledge…

Concerns about middle level education began early in this century and will continue to be discussed by researchers and observers well into the next century. This digest examines the evolving characteristics and goals of middle level education, especially in terms of the most recent statements of purpose by major organizations in the field. Noting…