A major reason for the paucity of usable data on the contributions and effectiveness of community colleges is that the definitions on which the data are based are imprecise. Colleges' contributions might be better understood if their functions were reconceptualized. The collegiate dimension of community colleges (i.e, that portion of the…

In an effort to standardize the definition of the two-year college student transfer rate and to collect national transfer data, the Center for the Study of Community Colleges (CSCC) has solicited data annually since 1989 from a sample of 240 public and private two-year colleges nationwide. The CSCC has standardized the definition of "transfer…

Intended for the classroom teacher, this review of first generation career education research is based primarily on Edwin L. Herr's comprehensive review and synthesis, "Research in Career Education: The State of the Art" (ED 149 177). Herr's major findings have been summarized in a list of statements. For example, two of these statements…

A small number of studies conducted during the 1980's provide insights into the magnitude of transfer activity and the characteristics of students who are likely to transfer. The studies, based occasionally on state data and more frequently on secondary analyses of the U.S. Department of Education's longitudinal databases, reveal that: (1)…

This bulletin examines some questions that arise when children are not ready for promotion: Should they be retained? Who decides? Are there alternatives to retention? What is the effect of retention on the student? Despite research limitations, those who examine the studies on grade repetition say they show that grade retention does not have a…

Recent mandates from state and accrediting agencies are requiring community colleges to provide evidence of their success in such areas as basic skills and remediation, general education, major-field content, student development, transfer effectiveness, job training, job placement, and fiscal accountability. This volume, in addition to describing…

Abstracts are presented of the major conference papers and thematic discussions delivered at the 1978 Measurement and Methodology Conference. The titles of the presentations are: Policy-Responsive Evaluation (Wiley); When Educators Set Standards (Glass); Comments on Wiley and Glass (Schutz); Key Standard-Setting Considerations for Minimal…

This issue of "Multiple Voices" contains the following articles: (1) "A Self-Study of Diversity: Preservice Teachers' Beliefs Revealed through Classroom Practices" (Donna M. Sobel and others), which presents the results of seven preservice teachers' self-study that reveals ways in which the teachers' beliefs regarding diversity issues were…