California needs 2.3 million more people with postsecondary credentials by 2025, but that goal cannot be achieved at current college completion rates. Overall, only 32 percent of California college students complete credentials on time. Low-income students are much less likely than higher income students to enroll in or complete college, and these…

This companion dissertation reports the findings of applied case study research on four community college organizational units that consistently meet or exceed standard performance measures. In addition, prior ample evidence confirmed that performance extended significantly beyond what might be explained by available tangible resources alone. The…

Campus orientation and first year experience programs are becoming an everyday part of campus life at institutions across the country. One such program at Kirkwood Community College is College 101. College 101 is a semester long course designed to aid in the students' successful transition to Kirkwood academically, socially and personally. My…

National governments and multi-national institutions are spending unprecedented amounts of money on ICT on improving the overall quality of school learning, and schools are increasingly expected to prepare young people for a global economy in which inter-cultural understanding will be a priority. This book explores and analyzes the ways ICT has…

Data about compensation received by employees in Illinois' 48 Illinois public community colleges are gathered by the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB). Data in the "Fiscal Year 2013 Salary Report" reflect the census date of October 1, 2012. Data are presented by peer groups with statewide totals. The seven peer groups are based on…

Music education leadership in public schools has often been the responsibility of a department chair or a district music supervisor. Nevertheless, budget constraints have forced districts to consolidate supervisory positions, frequently eliminating district chairs in music and the arts among other curricular areas. Without a strong advocate at the…

The purpose of this article is to explore ways in which blogs can support literacy communities while developing a writing community. Examples of how a classroom teacher uses blogs to strengthen the writing process is described. (Contains 2 figures and 1 table.)

The National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) shows a civic knowledge gap similar to the achievement gap, showing urban youth struggling in particular. However, research has shown that urban youth can be civically engaged when they are involved in projects or organizing intended to improve community conditions, not simply absorbing civic…

Integral to the current economic recession is an irresolute unemployment rate that disproportionately impacts unskilled and ill-prepared workers in need of the training that is being offered in technical and community colleges. These institutions have experienced record enrollment growth as students seek training and education necessary to pursue…

With the advancement of technology, the changing landscape of education has brought about challenging issues that necessitate a clearer understanding of the leadership role of an online instructor. In this exploratory study, it was found that business administration students (n=107) from a Southern California community college expect their online…

In 2010 ACT sponsored a strategic workforce development summit with several prominent community college presidents from across the country. The presidents provided diverse perspectives about how to effectively prepare and validate a prepared workforce. This paper represents, in part, key elements of that discussion as well as what they think is a…

This replicated study (A. Tucho, 2000, "Factors Influencing the General Educational Development [GED] Program at Community College of Philadelphia as Perceived by the GED Students") determined which of the 3 types of educational barriers (institutional, situational, and dispositional) represented the major difficulty preventing adult…

After a number of years of enrollment growth at the nation's community colleges, total headcount enrollments leveled off in fall 2011 from the previous year. A collaborative analysis of the American Association of Community Colleges and the National Student Clearinghouse shows an enrollment decrease of almost 1% from fall 2010 to 2011. Despite…

Belenky et al. (1997) found five ways of women's knowing (silent knowing, receiving knowing, subjective knowing, procedural knowing, and constructed knowing) according to the study conducted on women who majored in the social sciences and liberal arts. This study is built on the same model found by Belenky et al.'s study to collect open-ended…

It is sometimes assumed that teachers in an informed way shall embrace TEL (technology enhanced learning) in their practices. In this article, it is argued that TPD (teachers' professional development) for this purpose can be a part of their engagement in an OLC (online learning community), and we ask the questions--How can professional…