Objective: In 2014, Florida implemented Senate Bill 1720 (SB 1720), which drastically reshaped developmental education practices across the 28 public state colleges. Under the reform, around two-thirds of students became exempt from developmental education. Yet, many students were still required to take the placement test. If they scored below…

Describes Rogers State College's (Oklahoma) use of Multiple Learning Opportunities (MLO), a print-based, student-centered, instructor-managed and -directed, audio-and-video supplemented, competency-based synergistic teaching and learning system. Explains the four formats in which each MLO course is offered: traditional, independent study, video…

Describes the debate over how and when the community college movement spread from the Midwest to California. Presents evidence that the University of Chicago's William Rainey Harper was working in 1900 to convince three California colleges to drop their upper division and become junior colleges. Considers the role of David Starr Jordan in the…

Describes the responses of Atlantic Community College and Richard Stockton State College to the advent of casino gambling in Atlantic City. Provides background information on the two colleges, their students, and their casino education programs, and presents study findings regarding student characteristics and attitudes. (DMM)

Identifies the strengths of North Carolina's community college system (i.e., community good will, high caliber faculty and staff, its willingness and ability to police itself, the long-range planning process, and the system's Commission on the Future). Looks at future directions and challenges. (DMM)

Contests the conclusions of Wattenbarger and Witt concerning the role of William Rainey Harper in the founding of the California community college movement. Argues that Harper's ideals differ sharply from the legislation proposed by Senator Anthony Caminetti to fund high-school-based junior colleges and the goals of Fresno Junior College. (MAB)

Assesses the extent of centralization of state governance structures for community colleges in 45 states, offering a rank ordering of states and a tally of the number of highly decentralized (3), decentralized (10), moderately decentralized (11), moderately centralized (5), centralized (13), and highly centralized (2) state systems. (DMM)

Examines the relationship between institutional spending patterns and performance funding standards at the 14 public community colleges in Tennessee. Analyses reveal a relationship between expenditure categories and performance standard scores, with higher scoring colleges spending a greater portion of funds on academic support and instruction…

Questions whether William Rainey Harper was responsible for David Starr Jordan's and Benjamin Ida Wheeler's advocacy of the municipal junior college in California; whether Jordan and Wheeler introduced the idea to Senator Anthony Caminetti prior to his introduction of the bill permitting six-year high schools; and what constitutes sufficient…

Describes a cooperative purchasing effort initiated by Florida community colleges and extended to all the state's postsecondary institutions that has resulted in some $33 million in savings on computer technology purchases for participating institutions. Describes how the resulting Technology Refresh Program has assured the continual upgrading and…

Explores the effects of pragmatic day-to-day considerations on mission and values within the North Carolina community college system. Reviews the public positions of representative power bases, stresses the importance of a strong mission policy grounded in tradition, and urges the state board to take a stronger leadership role. (DMM)

Describes a collaborative program initiated by Evergreen State College and Seattle Central Community College in Washington to promote faculty revitalization, curricular reform, and interinstitutional articulation. Examines the new curriculum of Seattle Central, as an intentionally designed "learning community," structured to sustain academic…

Reports on interviews conducted to assess the status of humanities instruction in North Carolina's community colleges. Includes Dallas Herring's reflections on the establishment and growth of the state's community college system. Summarizes interviews with central office representatives and two-year college managers concerning the mission and…