As community colleges across the country look for ways to promote student success, the need for scaling effective approaches is critical. This guide builds on a framework of four phases of scaling developed in Job For the Future's (JFF's) previous publication, "Thinking Big: A Framework for States on Scaling Up Community College…

Now, more than ever, more adults must earn college credentials in order to earn family sustaining wages and to help fuel and sustain a robust national economy. That means that institutions of higher education must do all they can to help adult students enroll in college and complete a postsecondary credential. Achieving the Dream emphasizes a…

This study examines the efforts of higher education systems in six states to implement large-scale changes to improve student outcomes in mathematics in community colleges and four-year colleges and universities as part of the Mathematics Pathways to Completion (MPC) project. The three-year project was launched in 2015 to help Arkansas,…

This article examines the current literature and state legislation of statewide "free tuition" promise programs. The purpose of this paper was to analyze state free community college programs, legislation, scholarly literature, and state websites to understand program structures, funding sources, and student-eligibility requirements. The…

On February 18-19, 2016, representatives of 10 states participating in the Credit When It's Due (CWID) initiative attended a convening held at the University of Utah. The meeting was led by the CWID Research Team and sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and The Kresge Foundation, on behalf of the CWID Funders Collaborative. The…

This brief focuses on the efforts of the nursing programs at Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas (PCCUA) to reduce time to completion, increase achievement, and enhance student support. To accomplish these goals, PCCUA involved healthcare providers, faculty, students, college curriculum committees, the Accreditation Commission…

It is a truism of American social policy that our nation has great success generating innovative programs that improve outcomes for participants--but that we are far less effective at moving from small, "boutique" programs into broadly applied solutions that improve the prospects of large numbers of individuals. This is certainly true in…

This chapter provides an annotated bibliography of articles about the effects of transfer associate degrees and related statewide transfer and articulation policies. It also provides links to transfer degree legislation in several states.

This publication details the institutional goals, objectives, and strategies of public two-year institutions in Arkansas as related to their appropriations requests. It also provides operating and capital recommendations of the Arkansas Public Higher Education Coordinating Board for 2011-2013 biennium for each institution. [For Volume 1, see…

Recently the state legislatures in Texas and Arkansas have passed initiatives to maximize transfer effectiveness from two- to four-year institutions. These initiatives, and others being undertaken on a national level, were stimulated by the rising cost of higher education, a decline in transfer rates and low achievement among students who do…

The Breaking Through (BT) initiative promotes an expanded and enhanced role for community colleges in providing access to college for low-skilled adults. BT is uniquely important in its systematic integration of adult education, developmental/remedial education, professional-technical education (PTE), and career planning and preparation in…

This report details the findings of the Strategic Plan Steering Committee of the Arkansas Association of Two-Year Colleges (AATYC). The document serves two purposes. First, it makes the case for the potential of two-year colleges in Arkansas to make an impact on the state's students and, in turn, impact the economy. Second, the report lays the…

Guidelines for establishing community colleges in Arkansas are provided. The sections of the manual are as follows: What Is a Community College? What Are Its Advantages for the Student? Community Colleges and Other Institutions of Higher Education; The Finance and Control of a Community College; Steps in the Establishment of a Community College in…

Reviews the history of two-year colleges in Arkansas, discussing their beginnings in the late 1800s, enabling legislation as public junior colleges in the 1960s, expansion in the 1970s, and major changes in the 1990s. Describes current issues of concern, such as institutional mergers, local college governance structures, and state funding. (AJL)

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the perception of two-year and four-year college students, faculty, and chief administration officers related to current articulation practices. The study also aimed to determine the desired components for a successful articulation and transfer system, and to identify any significant differences…