This paper provides information about noncredit instruction in the California Community Colleges and updates the 2009 paper "Noncredit Instruction: Opportunity and Challenge" to incorporate subsequent changes from the last decade. Since the passage of SB 361 (Scott, 2006), noncredit instruction has seen significant changes, including the…

California's community colleges continue to play a crucial role in the state's economy by providing students with the skills and knowledge to succeed and by advancing the economic growth and global competitiveness of California and its regional economies through the Economic and Workforce Development Program (EWD). The EWD program invests in the…

The national college completion agenda is in full swing but the role of "community" colleges in that agenda is under-appreciated. With a large share of projected job openings requiring college education of less than a bachelor's degree and offering family-supporting wages, the nation's community colleges can make a huge contribution…

The Federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA), Title II: Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) provides funding for states and territories to provide instruction in English as a Second Language (ESL), Adult Basic Education (ABE), and Adult Secondary Education (ASE) to adults in need of these literacy services. California State Budget Act…

This paper considers noncredit instruction in the California Community College System. It identifies three related concepts: a state need for increased levels of education that noncredit instruction is well placed to supply, several changes that begin to facilitate that response, and additional changes that are needed to ensure success. The…

This report evaluates the contribution of public higher education to raise educational attainment and the challenge of aligning postsecondary education with evolving educational needs of the state's diverse population. Report conclusions include: (1) The educational attainment of California's population is growing more slowly than the national…

Is the United States getting it wrong when it comes to educating tomorrow's innovators in critical fields? It has been known for years that the only way to compete globally in information technology, engineering, nanotechnology, robotics and other fields is to give students the best educational opportunities possible. But do individuals have a…

To assess the merit of vocational education programs receiving federal funds, and to identify existing problems, the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare ordered the review of programs in four states: California, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Contained in this document are the findings, conclusions, and recommendations resulting from…

The Joint Hearing before the U.S. Senate's Subcommittee on Education and the Special Subcommittee on Human Resources was particulary concerned with the problems of bilingual education. The hearing, held February 1973 in Los Angeles, California, focused on the Southwest in general and on California in particular because of the greater bilingual…

In spite of the fact that noncredit generates approximately 10% of enrollment in the California Community College System, many people outside and even within the system are not aware of or do not fully understand the importance of noncredit and how it serves California's educational needs. Noncredit courses are basically what its title…

Many California community colleges are accepting the challenge of their vital role in economic development through contract education (i.e., the process of entering into partnerships with business, government, and industry at the work site to assist employer training). Employer-based education and training is generally contracted in one of six…

This report presents information on the status of the Tech-Prep Programs in California community colleges and addresses the broader policy context of new federal initiatives--especially the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1993--in which the Tech-Prep Program is likely to develop in the future. Section I documents the recent growing concerns…

Educational activities sponsored by business, industry, and various levels of government, including the military (BIGM), in California are briefly reported. Much that is being offered through courses and services by postsecondary educational institutions is also being provided through BIGM training activities, and there are areas of cooperation…

This paper presents findings from a state-sponsored study of the adult education needs of limited-English-proficient (LEP) adults in California. The findings relate primarily to the situation of the over 2.3-million Spanish-speaking LEP adults, and within this population, to Mexican immigrants. Data were gathered in household surveys in three…

This document describes the Orange County Cluster human resources development (HRD) seminar that was conducted as part of Nova University's nontraditional practitioner-oriented, problem-solving, field-based distance education program in higher education. Discussed first are HRD in the agricultural and business industrial eras and changing HRD…