There is evidence in the literature that teaching critical thinking in college courses at both community colleges and four-year universities helps students gain critical thinking skills. However, students are not learning the critical thinking skills that employers expect in freshman-level science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)…

Many teachers believe that becoming friends with their pupils compromises their status as teachers because they regard friendship as a role that is incompatible with that status. However, to consider friendship as a typical relationship or social interaction does not reflect the classical idea of friendship. In a classical approach to friendship,…

Education around the concept of sustainability, encompassing the environment, economy, and society, presents challenges of context among diverse groups. I present a framework for sustainability education based on experience with educating secular groups in a university context and educating spiritual groups in a community context. This…

This article discusses an invitation circle, a process of inviting workshop and classroom participants into collaborative and humanizing inquiry and provides guidelines for initiating an invitation circle. Drawing from indigenous and posthuman traditions, invitation circles model decolonizing inquiry, encourage participants to develop humanizing…

This essay examines the history of what is commonly called the town-gown relationship in American college towns in the six decades after the Second World War. A time of considerable expansion of higher education enrollment and function, the period also marks an increasing detachment of higher education institutions from their local communities.…

As employers look for skilled individuals to fill high-demand jobs, registered apprenticeships provide opportunities for people to engage in dedicated on-the-job training in conjunction with related classroom instruction that directly links to a career path. The benefit of related instruction in tandem to on-the-job training is clear; however, the…

This qualitative phenomenological study examines the leadership development activities of Illinois community college presidents and sought to understand not only how presidents prepare for their leadership roles, but what challenges presidents are currently facing, what advice they have for emerging leaders about effective leadership practices,…

Background: The International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health includes important considerations of environmental context in understanding disability, but the environmental impact is often difficult to measure. Purpose: Demonstrates the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) in…

History organizations through structural inclusion and outreach since the 1990s have been inclusive of community college faulty.

Our university campuses need people in leadership sensitive to the social and political privilege they enjoy relative to the many diverse students they serve. Through a case study approach, we examine how leaders use campus communications to intentionally build community and expand a sense of belonging for all voices. Drawing on feminist…

Collaborative decision-making and shared responsibility across departments can be messy and time consuming. However, working collaboratively in a well-constructed cross-functional team (CFT) can create a culture of self-responsibility and accountability and improve institutional practices. The following paper will describe a successful model for…

Teacher-research clubs are an effective and infectious way to solve problems and fuel passion. Educators Sally Donnelly and Megan McCormick discuss how their do-it-yourself teacher research club helped their colleagues gain perspective on problems of practice and grew to be an influential part of their school district.

Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant program was an unprecedented investment in community colleges. This chapter describes the history and context for this grant program, as well as its strategies and outcomes.

Drawing from Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant evaluations and interviews with the field, this chapter includes examples of three cases that integrated advising and prior learning assessment for adults returning to education, and discusses the benefits and drawbacks of each approach.

While data on enrollment, performance, persistence, and completion can offer directional information about access and success for different student groups, they do not provide the "why" behind these measures. Asking students directly about their experiences at the institution can help with a more comprehensive understanding of how to…