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 this slight decline, enrollments remain up 21.8% since fall 2007 (see Figure 1). This explosive growth was undoubtedly fueled by the economic...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Community Colleges, Enrollment, Enrollment Trends, Grants, Context Effect, State Aid,...
Decades of research reinforce the power of postsecondary education to improve the lives of students and society. To this end, the establishment of an educated citizenry built to sustain and mold the principles governing an ever-dynamic America is increasingly a responsibility incumbent upon institutions of higher education. Just how to fund this enterprise in the midst of cyclical financial downturns with increases in demands for other governmental services and the reduction, or at least a...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Higher Education, Financial Support, Educational Finance, Federal Aid, Role, State...
A survey from the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) found that enrollment growth in fall 2010 slowed its pace at community colleges, increasing 3.2% from the previous year. This contrasts with more dramatic increases in recent years: more than 11% between fall 2008 and fall 2009, and nearly 17% between fall 2007 and fall 2009, based on results of a fall 2009 survey sent to AACC member-eligible institutions (Mullin & Phillippe, 2009). The survey also examined institutional...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Community Colleges, Surveys, Enrollment Trends, Public Colleges, Part Time Students,...
Over the past few years, as the nation has attempted to emerge from a recession, people are increasingly turning to education as a means to return to work in an economy that demands new skills and a larger number of knowledge-based workers. The demand for more education has resulted in increased enrollments in postsecondary institutions, especially in community colleges, which have experienced substantial increases in enrollment since fall 2007. The demand felt on college campuses aligns with...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Educational Trends, Enrollment, College Students, Community Colleges, Human Capital,...
There is a clear need for a more highly educated and skilled workforce in America. This brief discusses why the expansion and enhancement of the community college infrastructure is considered as an investment. Given the diverse beneficiaries of an educated population, direct support of community colleges should continue to be a partnership between federal, state, and local governments; students and their families; and, when appropriate, business and industry. In sum, strong public investments...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Community Colleges, Access to Education, Costs, Job Skills, Economic Factors,...
The purpose of this study was to replicate both The Education Trust's "The Funding Gap" and D. Verstegen and L. Driscoll's "The Illinois Dilemma" studies published in 2008 utilizing the actual allocations to districts resulting from the fiscal policy mechanism (funding formula) in Illinois for the 2004-2005 school year to understand the influence of adjusted values on determinants of fiscal equity as applied in each of the earlier studies. The results of the IERC [Illinois...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Funding Formulas, Elementary Secondary Education, Educational Finance, Financial...
While enrollments continue to increase, there is the concern, among some, that a focus on completion has the potential to influence just who is allowed to take advantage of educational opportunities. In policy conversations, especially those concerned with policies related to access and choice, there is a silent movement to redirect educational opportunity to "deserving" students. This brief highlights some actions that can be taken to ensure that access is not deteriorated. (Contains...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Community Colleges, Enrollment Rate, Educational Attainment, Access to Education,...
The credentials primarily awarded by community colleges--certificates and associate degrees--play a unique role in advancing college completion rates. Given the current economic climate and high unemployment rates, there exists a clear demand for, and focus on, quickly returning people to a changing work environment through education and training. In community colleges, this demand manifests itself in heightened interest in short-term, work-related certificates in specific programs. Community...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Credentials, Community Colleges, Associate Degrees, Institutional Mission, Graduation...
Increasing the proportion of Americans whose levels of educational attainment extend beyond a high school diploma is a broad national priority. Attaining the ambitious goals that have been articulated will require the additional education of traditional-age students entering college directly from the K-12 system, as well as reengaging millions of young adults and experienced workers. Community colleges, which educate nearly half of all undergraduates, are committed to being a part of the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Community Colleges, Financial Support, Educational Finance, Educational Equity...
Time is a core unit of human capital. With only 24 hours in a day, the way people choose to spend their time is an indication of what they value and the constraints under which they operate. In the higher education context, time-to-degree is a key element of higher education analysis, particularly at a time of constrained resources and a growing emphasis on completion. It is generally thought, and is often true, that a shorter time-to-degree implies a more efficient or "better" higher...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Time to Degree, Community Colleges, College Students, Low Income Groups, Time,...
The nation relies on both 2- and 4-year institutions of higher education for the majority of its registered nurses (RNs), who are authorized to practice as RNs after achieving either an associate or bachelor's-level nursing degree and passing a national licensure exam. Due to job growth and retirements, the nation is projected to need more than 1 million additional RNs by 2018. Yet, recently, schools of nursing received thousands of qualified applications that could not be processed for...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Nursing Education, Nursing Research, Nurses, Associate Degrees, Bachelors Degrees,...
The Federal Pell Grant Program serves as the foundation of the Federal Student Aid system, with more than 9.5 million students relying on the program to provide access to higher education in 2010-2011. It is one of the rare large federal domestic programs that has almost entirely avoided suggestions that it is ineffective or that it plays a role that would be better played by a different entity, public or private. However, the Pell Grant program is in a precarious position, given the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, College Students, Community Colleges, Student Financial Aid, Grants, Federal Aid,...
President Barack Obama's address to the Joint Session of Congress set forth a postsecondary education agenda focused on access and success. In Illinois, as the high school graduating Class of 2002 moves further away from their days in Illinois public education and they begin to take their place in society, trends have begun to emerge as to their participation in postsecondary education and patterns of completion. Through the use of student unit-record longitudinal data for this cohort, the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Postsecondary Education, Public Schools, High School Graduates, Followup Studies,...
Whereas community colleges and for-profit institutions both provide postsecondary educational opportunities, they are different in a host of dimensions. This brief describes some of those differences--not to win a debate or suggest public policy, but to show why comparisons made between the community colleges and for-profit institutions are more limited than some may suggest. This brief presents data for community colleges and, where possible, at each level (4-year, 2-year, less-than-2-year) of...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Community Colleges, Financial Support, Institutional Characteristics, Institutional...
The need for better data on the performance of higher education has become a major focus of education policymakers, and this has been reflected in federal legislation. Community colleges are appropriately held accountable for the workforce outcomes of their students, but the data that are gathered to evaluate those outcomes must reflect the post-college occupational experiences of their students: child-care providers, engineers, nurses, general contractors, and members of the armed forces. To...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Federal Legislation, Program Descriptions, Content Analysis, Education Work...
In an attempt to better understand how community colleges responded to the economic maelstrom, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) surveyed its member institutions to examine changes in enrollment, local factors contributing to enrollment shifts, and the lessons learned from their experiences. The authors found the following: (1) Nationally, the number of students enrolled in credit-bearing courses at community colleges in fall 2009 increased by 11.4% from fall 2008 and 16.9%...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Community Colleges, Academic Aspiration, Articulation (Education), Geographic...
In recent months, some legislators, government agency officials, segments of the media, and campus administrators have called attention to perceived and proven instances of abuse of the federal student financial assistance programs. Concerns have focused on students enrolling in courses primarily to secure student financial aid funds rather than to pursue an education. Organized fraud rings and individuals intending to commit financial aid fraud have allegedly concentrated on community college...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Student Financial Aid, Grants, Federal Aid, Deception, College Students, Community...
In 2001, Illinois began administering the ACT (American College Testing) test to all 11th graders in Illinois public schools as part of the Prairie State Achievement Exam (PSAE). For the first time, ACT scores and background information were available for most public-school students who would be completing high school one year later, rather than just those who elected to take the test because they were expecting to apply to a postsecondary institution that asked for ACT scores. The authors...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Family Income, High School Graduates, Associate Degrees, Grade 11, Standardized...
This longitudinal study focuses on a new generation. Members of the high school class of 2002 were born in the years 1983 and 1984. In order to situate their lives in historical context, it is helpful to think back to some of the major events in the lives of these young Illinois citizens. This analysis of the cohort of 2002 provides leaders of Illinois institutions of higher education with information about the gendered patterns of enrollment and successful completion at educational...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Gender Differences, Institutional Characteristics, Equal Education, Females, Males,...
In 2001, Illinois began administering the ACT (American College Testing) test to all 11th graders in Illinois public schools as part of the Prairie State Achievement Exam (PSAE). For the first time, ACT scores and background information were available for most public-school students who would be completing high school one year later, rather than just those who elected to take the test because they were expecting to apply to a postsecondary institution that asked for ACT scores. The authors...
Topics: ERIC Archive, High School Graduates, Associate Degrees, Grade 11, Bachelors Degrees, Postsecondary...
America's community colleges are the brokers of opportunity for a stronger middle class and more prosperous nation. The value of community colleges has repeatedly been detailed in broad brushstrokes. While these broad-brush pictures of the community college contribution are important, the community college is an intricate institution offering pathways to credentials, degrees, and retraining opportunities for those with and without college credentials; they operate as engines of economic...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Community Colleges, Labor Force Development, Job Skills, Wages, Educational...
This executive summary provides background information on unemployment rates, the need for new jobs, and the role community colleges have in securing opportunities for a stronger middle class and more prosperous nation. The summary is the introduction to the "Community College Contributions. Policy Brief 2013-01PB." [For the full report, see ED557992.]
Topics: ERIC Archive, Community Colleges, Labor Force Development, Job Skills, Wages, Educational...
The Illinois High School Class of 2002 is part of the third generational wave of American students following the landmark Supreme Court decision in "Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka," which outlawed segregation in public education. This longitudinal study allows the authors to examine the long-term impacts of this monumental education and legal policy in the state of Illinois. An examination of data on how students of various races and ethnicities participate in public and...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Court Litigation, Educational Policy, Racial Differences, Postsecondary Education,...
