In the United States, many community college students--about 68 percent--enroll part-time, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Unfortunately, graduation rates for part-time students are low. Only 19 percent of people who begin attending community college as part-time students graduate within six years, compared with 36…

Community colleges are vital sources of educational and economic opportunities in urban areas. This chapter provides readers with a review of the research on students served by these institutions. While the experiences of this population are similar in many ways to those of community college students across the country, the influence of their…

Retention rates in higher education continue to be a prevalent issue especially for community colleges and will become a bigger issue in the current climate of enrollment loss. Much literature regarding student retention focuses on broad, overarching findings, but it is important to understand institution-specific retention factors. The purpose of…

In 2020, students categorized as Black, Hispanic, Asian, and two or more races comprised over 50% of community college enrollment nationwide. However, current internationalization models in community colleges are rarely intentionally designed for and with students of the global majority. This study addresses a gap in the research by exploring the…

In this report, the authors use Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) data to classify the 1.425 million degrees and certificates that community colleges awarded in academic year 2022-23 by intent (i.e., whether the program is designed to enable students to enter the workforce, transfer to a bachelor's degree program, or explore…

This study examined Generation Z students enrolled in a California community college in 2021. The first generation to be born into an internet-connected world, this cohort of individuals, born between 1995 and 2010, is attending college now and will continue to enter colleges for the next decade. Data related to the educational barriers to their…

Objective/Research Question: The purpose of this study was to explore effective predictors of student success through examining concurrent and predictive validity evidence for the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) engagement indicators using data from three community colleges (CC) in North Carolina. Methods: We obtained a…

Objective: This study examines whether there are differences among first-generation and continuing-generation community college students in the importance they place on achieving college-related goals and difficulties they face from college- and other life-related challenges. Methods: Data were drawn from the "Community College Libraries and…

Colleges implement success courses to improve student outcomes. Since expanding its curriculum to include nine success courses, Illinois Eastern Community Colleges (IECC)--a multi-college community college district in rural, southeastern Illinois--has not determined the efficacy of these courses on student success. The purpose of this study was to…

The California Community College (CCC) system serves a large student body, diverse in backgrounds, experiences, and educational goals. The accompanying report uses data from the CCC system's records to measure variation in achievement across the state's Strong Workforce Regions. The report considers a range of achievement measures, including…

This multi-sited case study explored Men of Color (MoC) programs at Hispanic-serving community colleges. By employing frameworks designed to make meaning of Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) organizational identity, we examined how MoC program practitioners define the organizational identity of their Hispanic-serving community college, and how…

California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs), California's version of the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, provides cash assistance to low-income families with children. CalWORKs provides parents with cash assistance for expenses such as food, housing, utilities, or medical care, and may be…

Assembly Bill (AB) 1705 requires community colleges to ensure that students pursuing calculus-based programs in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) begin math in the course that best positions them to complete their calculus requirement. According to the law, a college has this obligation for all STEM students, regardless of their…

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, distance education has rapidly expanded, transforming the landscape of community colleges. This paper explores how different online learning modalities impact student success in the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD), one of the largest and most diverse systems in the United States. With the purpose of…

College graduates are expected to acquire certain skill sets that are necessary and sought after by potential employers, as many industries in the United States continue to grow a global footprint. Employers also value good communication skills, and communication classes are a staple of most general education curricula, including those taught on…