The purpose of this case study was to understand how collaboration, or lack of collaboration between community college-level silos, affected the process of accreditation as conducted by the Higher Learning Commission. The theory that guided this study is Smith's theory of seven silos of higher education, as it explains the relationships between…

The objective of this study was to report on teachers' perceptions of using health disparities content to engage high school students in urban communities over the course of a summer health disparities professional development (PD) program. Teachers participated in a three-week, 80-hour summer PD, where they received content on health disparities,…

The primary purpose of this study was to understand how three diverse community colleges are interpreting and acting on federal initiatives to increase completion rates. The study attempted to answer four main research questions: (1) How do a selection of Kansas community colleges, as organizations, interpret the initiative to increase completion…

"The Learning System" is a newsletter designed for superintendents and central office staff with professional learning responsibilities. This issue includes: (1) District Pulls Together in Pursuit of Excellence: Creating Collaboration Systemwide Requires Commitment (Valerie von Frank); (2) Scheduling Time for Teacher Learning Is Key for…

Identified characteristics perceived by students, educators, school board members, and the community to be the most important indicators of school quality in small school districts in Kansas. Determined the degree to which characteristics are present in selected small and rural schools. Respondents perceived their schools positively on the…

During 1978-79, a study was conducted to determine differences in the perceptions of community college presidents, faculty, and trustees with regard to appropriate selection criteria for these positions. Questionnaires were sent to all of the presidents, all 114 of the trustees, and a random sample of 150 faculty members at the 19 Kansas community…

Environmental factors, family relationships, school academic and social milieu, opportunities for achieving recognition, and general attitudes were studied in 10 rural Kansas communities. Five communities with high percentages and 5 with low percentages of students going to college were compared in an attempt to determine differences in values…

A study examining collaboration between two small rural school districts in Kansas found that school boards and superintendents from both districts encouraged and supported continuous collaboration, that collaboration supported more comprehensive curricular and extracurricular programs, and that collaboration allowed districts to maintain their…

A study was conducted to determine the perceptions of community college teachers in Kansas of the competencies required for effective teaching. Questionnaires were sent to a random sample of 225 full-time instructors at 19 Kansas community colleges soliciting faculty opinions of the importance of 70 teaching competencies, organized into categories…

Questionnaires were administered to all community college faculty and administrators in each of the 19 Kansas community colleges in order to assess staff development needs in the areas of instructional activities, understanding the role of community colleges, and administration, and to ascertain the desired conditions for staff development…

From the fall of 1998 through fall of 1999, visits to 9 community colleges in 3 states were conducted to investigate current practices regarding students with disabilities. Approximately 1 year later, 6 additional community colleges were visited in the same 3 states and similar data were collected. Through a series of interviews, questionnaires,…

In 1986-87, Schools for Quality Education, an organization of some 80 small schools in Kansas, and the Center for Rural Education and Small Schools (College of Education, Kansas State University) jointly investigated the effectiveness of representative smaller schools serving rural areas in Kansas. The study, which was conducted in two phases,…

Schools for Quality Education, an organization of some 80 small Kansas schools, and the Center for Rural Education and Small Schools (College of Education, Kansas State University) in 1986-87 jointly investigated the effectiveness of representative smaller schools serving Kansas's rural areas. Phase 1 identified the most important indicators of…