This briefing was prepared for the 2016 Virginia Education Summit. The report is comprised of questions and answers in the following sections: (1) K-12; (2) Workforce; and (3) Postsecondary. The K-12 section addresses the following questions: (1) What does the K-12 landscape look like in the Commonwealth? (2) How are students performing in…

Using detailed administrative data from Virginia, this paper examines how and why the community college pathway to a baccalaureate influences students' degree attainment and short-term labor market performance. We find that the community college pathway sharply reduces the likelihood of earning a bachelor's degree but does not have a significant…

The purpose of this descriptive study was to investigate the adjunct faculty's perception of professional development and support services offered and needed at Tidewater Community College, a multicampus community college. This study involved adjunct faculty only. A survey was created and contained 58 survey questions. The majority of these were…

This research examined the results of SmarterMeasure(TM) test as associated with students' success in online courses. SmarterMeasure(TM) (formally known as the READI, or Readiness for Education At a Distance Indicator) data was collected from students who participated in online classes during the Fall 2010 semester at Southside Virginia Community…

A community needs survey was conducted of Wytheville Community College's five-county, one-city service area, to determine what area residents know about the college and the various community services it provides. In early December 1977, phone calls to randomly selected prospective participants were made to solicit their participation in the…

A followup study of graduates and non-graduates of occupational-technical programs in Virginia Community College System institutions was conducted in order to develop a profile of such students, to ascertain their post-college activities, and to study their attitudes toward their community college experience and current employment. All former…

In an effort to provide faculty and administrators with a current profile of the diverse student population at Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC), a study was conducted of new students entering PVCC in fall 1989. The new student population, representing 33.5% of the total fall 1989 headcount, included 849 first-time students and 644…

In order to evaluate Virginia Western Community College's (VWCC) nursing program and the proficiencies of its graduates, an examination was made of the interrelatedness of certain student characteristics/achievements and subtest scores. Statistical analyses of the data included: (1) a demographic profile of graduates, (2) descriptive analyses of…

Community colleges have always been strongly tied to their local communities, and arose out of an egalitarian approach to higher education. The Morrill Act of 1862 created the American land grant universities, with an emphasis on practical education in agriculture and technical fields. In addition, a number of private two-year "junior…

Of the 5,227 1973-74 graduates of the Virginia Community College System, the majority (61 percent) were men. Racial minorities comprised 11 percent of the graduates. Although the largest single age group was 21 years or younger, the majority of the graduates were at least 22 years old. Thirteen percent were older than 35, and the median age for…

This master plan is divided into three sections. The first consists of an historical profile of Thomas Nelson Community College (TNCC), a statement of the college's mission, and descriptions of the college's organizational structure, student characteristics, educational programs, and financial, personnel, and facility resources. The second section…