Hispanic-Serving Community Colleges enroll and educate a large share of Hispanic postsecondary students. Due to work trends and demographic changes, Hispanic and other historically underrepresented students play a crucial role in shaping the next generation of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) scholars and practitioners. We use…

Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree graduates often enter the workforce immediately upon graduation. This study examined the vertical transfer decision-making processes of these students as they considered whether to enter the workforce upon graduation or transfer to a four-year university in search of an applied engineering degree. The…

This study presents a comparative analysis of student outcomes between online and face-to-face learning modalities at an urban community college in the Midwest, with a focus on retention and academic success. The college serves an average of 14,000 students annually across more than seventy career programs. Utilizing a quantitative approach, the…

To better understand the challenges and opportunities facing community colleges that want to expand apprenticeship opportunities to their students, New America conducted a year-long study. We created an advisory committee to guide this work and spoke to apprenticeship, workforce development, and community college leaders about the community…

Community colleges enroll millions of students across the United States in urban, suburban and rural communities. Specifically designed to address the unique needs of the communities they serve, these institutions are often the engines of the local economy and at times the only pathway out of poverty. Community colleges strive to uphold their…

Learning assistance services offered by U.S. community colleges are vital to the academic success of many students, but the tutors themselves remain understudied. This paper attempts to narrow both the research and recognition gaps by exploring and categorizing prominent aspects of professional community college tutors. Using a small-scale,…

College fluency can help students successfully engage with and self-advocate within the culture and bureaucracy of higher education institutions to achieve their goals. To further examine and develop effective strategies to foster college fluency, the Borough of Manhattan Community College Library (BMCC) and Ithaka S+R partnered on the College…

Informed by the sociological concept of gaslighting, racelighting is an act of psychological manipulation whereby people of color receive messages that make them second-guess themselves and their lived experiences with race and racism. The purpose of this article is to propose racelighting as a theoretical construct to enhance understanding of the…

In this report, the authors analyze student attrition before the census date (which is the date by which community colleges count students as officially enrolled for each term) across community colleges in Texas, Kentucky, and California. They explore the magnitude of this issue, delve into the factors contributing to early student departures, and…

Advocates for marginalized students have worked to understand the equity implications of public policy and its application on educational performance gaps. This study investigated equity policies in a southern California community college intervention program: the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS). EOPS is an equity program created…

Drawing on qualitative data collected in a sample of colleges as part of a larger study on the implementation and impact of Assembly Bill 705 in California, this paper explores the rollout of corequisite reforms, focusing on the use of embedded tutors in introductory math and English courses as a strategy to meet to the needs of students. This…

Community Colleges have an open-door policy that publicly states all are welcome but after acceptance, the student encounters the hidden locked door of placement testing. For some students, placement testing is the key that unlocks the door and provides them access to their path toward their academic journey. But for most students, placement…

Many public workforce training programs lead to industry-recognized, third-party awarded credentials, but little research has been conducted on the economic benefits of these credentials in the labor market. This paper provides quasi-experimental evidence on the labor market returns to industry-recognized credentials connected to community college…

Rural community colleges serve as engines of economic opportunity and equity, offering students place-based programs and pathways that lead to good jobs. They also develop dynamic and responsive industry partnerships, to ensure their workforce education and training curriculum, programs, and transfer pathways meet the needs of local employers and…

Drawing on qualitative data collected in a sample of colleges as part of a larger study on the implementation and impact of Assembly Bill 705 in California, this paper explores the rollout of corequisite reforms, focusing on the use of embedded tutors in introductory math and English courses as a strategy to meet to the needs of students. This…