Community college students face a unique set of challenges when making a vertical transfer to a four-year university. This study utilized a Modified Delphi technique to identify the perceived factors that influence bachelor's degree completion of vertical transfer students. Factors related to the classroom, meaningful relationships with faculty,…

The current U.S. secondary education, postsecondary education, and workforce training systems are failing to serve the needs of many of today's students. Securing a good job with a family-sustaining wage increasingly requires workers to possess industry certifications, degrees, and credentials, but U.S. education systems are not set up to help…

Policymakers in Texas want to understand the funding levels necessary for community colleges to meet their promise of providing an affordable and accessible pathway to a postsecondary certificate or degree. This study was conducted to help these policymakers better understand the extent to which Texas community colleges had adequate funding to…

This qualitative study used phenomenological research methods to explore the lived experiences of single parents attending community college. The phenomenological research design was used to better understand participant experiences by examining the participant's view of their situation. Thirteen single-parent students in community colleges in the…

To help students realize their goals, community colleges across the country are working toward redesigning the student experience utilizing the guided pathways framework. Guided pathways is an institution-wide approach to student success that is based on giving students clear, coherent, and structured educational experiences that build in a…

Earning a college degree is a major pathway to economic mobility. Although Black women enter college at higher rates than white, Hispanic, and Black men (for example, in 2020, Black women enrolled in college at a 40% rate, compared to 37% for White men, 31% for Black men, and 30% for Hispanic men) they still face barriers to degree completion,…

The purpose of this study was to address the underrepresentation of racially minoritized students in the STEM field. Community colleges have emerged as institutions that are uniquely positioned to increase the number of racially minoritized students in STEM. To support the success of racially minoritized students in STEM, a recommended practice is…

The problem that was addressed in this qualitative case study was that student retention and graduation rates at community colleges have been affected by the lack of support provided to students during their academic careers. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to gain an understanding of how administrators perceived they were acting in…

The Community College Academic and Student Support Ecosystems (CCASSE) project examines how academic and student support services at not-for-profit associate-degree granting colleges are organized, funded, and staffed in order to most effectively advance student success. Between February and November 2020, 37 chief academic officers, chief student…

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship and predictability of demographic factors on the persistence, study habits and motivation level among African American and Latino male community college students. Specifically, this study was concerned with the predictive power of demographic (socio-economic status, age, ethnicity, and…

Many community college students experience high levels of stress due to the demands of coursework and stressors outside of the classroom. Contemplative practices such as deep breathing can reduce stress and increase focus, but students may not be familiar with or feel that they have time to engage in these practices. We hypothesized that…

Open educational resources (OERs) are an alternative textbook to publisher materials used by colleges and universities. OER materials have a cost advantage for students; many are published as free or cost-reduced textbooks for students. The authors developed and piloted an OER textbook for Business Law I in the Management program of the School of…

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted several states to adopt or scale new placement methods, since many test-based placement metrics were unavailable. In April 2020, the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) approved a pilot to add high school GPA as a placement method at Tennessee community colleges alongside other measures included in TBR's learning…

Public accountability demands have resulted in changes to higher education funding over the past four decades (Heller, 2011). The performance-based funding (PBF) metrics of retention and completion impact community colleges struggling to secure public funding, while addressing the needs of broad student populations (Dougherty, Jones, Lahr, Natow…

Black single mother scholars are often underreported and underserved in higher education. Barriers and obstacles can be insurmountable for many single mothers who may have had a break in education, including those designated as disconnected or opportunity youth. Opportunity youth is defined as young adults ages 16-24 not currently enrolled in…