Focusing on nontraditional workforce, economic, and community development programs being developed within community colleges, this monograph defines these efforts as "entrepreneurial colleges" within community colleges and reviews characteristics and trends related to these efforts. Following an executive summary and introduction, the first…

This paper explores the impact of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 on the work training being provided to welfare recipients by community colleges. This bill changed the approach for addressing poverty from a human capital perspective, which emphasizes the need for training and education to…

As postsecondary vocational education turns increasingly to preparation for high technological occupations, the question arises as to whether or not this infatuation with education for high technological occupations is reasonable and justified. Data on technician-level employment seem to contradict the view that high technological manufacturing is…

Examines the returns to subbaccalaureate credentials and coursework, using the postsecondary transcripts of the National Longitudinal Study of the Class of 1972. Results indicate substantial variety in the returns and suggest clear differences between the subbaccalaureate labor market and that for individuals with baccalaureate degrees. (56…

Disputes critics' claims about the negligible impact of an associate degree on income. Uses data from the National Longitudinal Survey of the High School Class of 1972 to demonstrate how associate degrees have increased wages for members of this group. (DMM)

Investigates enrollment and completion rates in public 2-year colleges, using models to interpret student and legislative demand. Student demand for enrollments and completion rates are not especially sensitive to labor market conditions. These patterns tend to persist over time, suggesting institutional rigidities. (Includes 6 tables, 17 notes,…

An analysis is provided of patterns of community college enrollments between 1970 and 1980, with particular emphasis on variations among the states in enrollment and completion rates. Section I looks at recent trends in community colleges, focusing on enrollment, numbers of degrees conferred, vocational enrollments, curriculum changes, and the…

Two contrasting hypotheses about the effects of community colleges--the view that these institutions "cool out" those who might attend four-year colleges, and the view that they increase schooling for students who would otherwise have no access to higher education--are presented. A model of educational attainment is discussed. (Author/MLW)

The roster of developmental programs available to students in community colleges is expanding, though remedial education itself does remain a marginal aspect of higher education. The programs are usually under-funded, segregated from "regular" offerings, and taught by part-timers. This report suggests that the colleges are sending signals that…

This working paper discusses the unique and complex issues community colleges face in providing career counseling and guidance to students, and it provides an overview of the current status of these services. Guidance and counseling at community colleges is complicated by the variety of students and the varying needs of population--from the older…

Given recent Federal Government and business community emphasis on integrated vocational and academic education, a telephone survey of community colleges was made to explore what forms such integration is taking. Information was gathered through telephone contact with 45 community college officials recruited through a mailed questionnaire to a…

Argues that education and workforce development departments in the community college can learn from one another and provide more effective and comprehensive services. (AUTH/NB)

This qualitative study of community college faculty, based on classroom observation and interviews of 257 instructors and 60 administrators at 32 community colleges across the country, was undertaken to explore what "teaching looks like in a teaching college." The researchers were especially interested in the collective nature of teaching: the…

Co-op seminars are a key component of the cooperative education (CE) program at LaGuardia Community College in New York City. All LaGuardia students must enroll in CE and attend a series of co-op seminars that raise general issues about work, occupations in general, and the competencies required on the job. The seminars serve as a form of career…

Focusing on innovations in workforce preparation and emerging practices in community colleges, this report examines tech prep programs and efforts to integrate academic and vocational education. Following an executive summary and introduction, section 1 outlines federal initiatives and other sources of support for innovation in workforce…