Case studies of successful labor-community college apprenticeship partnerships show that collaboration occurs when parties derive mutual benefits, collectively access external funds, stipulate roles/responsibilities, and resolve conflicts. Dual enrollment of apprentices in associate degree programs is a promising strategy. (SK)

Examined attendance patterns of two-year college transfers to a public university, investigating how many students transferred with associate degrees. Students used two-year colleges in many ways to pursue baccalaureates, with 45 percent of students attending 3 or more colleges in pursuing the baccalaureate and 13 percent continuing to enroll at…

Middle and early college high schools offer traditionally underserved students the opportunity to simultaneously engage in high school and college classes, with the goal of attaining both a high school diploma and an associate degree within five years. This chapter describes how two such schools support students as they confront the complexities…

This report provides system-level summary highlights of pre-college course-taking behavior of high school graduates who attended a community or technical college in the year following graduation, and of those who delayed enrollment at the college for one or two years after high school graduation. The report contains information on these enrollment…

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…

This paper presents the degrees conferred by Connecticut institutions of higher education in 2007-08. Connecticut colleges and universities awarded 36,634 degrees in 2007-08 (up 1.6% over 2006-07), the state's seventh consecutive year of growth and a 28 percent increase since 1998. Once again, the top five degree-producing disciplines were…

Alternative approaches to evaluating critical thinking skills are needed, as pencil and paper assessments may not accurately predict simulated or actual clinical performance. To ensure patient safety, it is imperative to determine how to best promote and measure critical thinking skills. Few studies have examined how these skills are related to…

In a global society and economy, education and training is essential to a nation's competitiveness and to the standard of living of its people. The need to open the doors of higher or further education beyond the relatively limited enrollments in elite and selective universities has spawned a movement to develop or expand institutions that are…

Many practices in higher education evolved significantly from 1985 to 2005. The presence of adult degree completion programs in colleges and universities of all types proliferated, with satellite campuses for this purpose in metropolitan areas often far removed from the "home campus." MBA programs multiplied during this same time, as did online…

This study examines undergraduate law-based degree programs in the 404 U.S. universities with undergraduate degrees in business that had Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation in 2005. University Web sites were used to identify and compare law-based undergraduate programs inside business to law-related programs…

As a growing percentage of future high school graduates come from communities that have been traditionally underserved by higher education, and more jobs will require some level of postsecondary education, community colleges will be an increasingly important asset for communities that are struggling to meet the demands of a rapidly changing,…

How to strengthen technician education to meet the needs of the biotechnology industry was the question before the 50 people who participated in the "Educating Biotechnicians for Future Industry Needs" conference from April 28 to 30 in Scottsdale, Arizona. The participants were from higher education, secondary schools, industry, government, and…

Over a two-year period beginning in March 2004, community colleges in Maryland developed a revised set of accountability indicators for a state-mandated Performance Accountability Report first required by a 1988 statute. A major innovation was a new model for assessing student degree progress. This article explains the development and components…

Boston University's Program in Artisanry, begun in January 1975, blends the vocational, manual and artistic within a liberal arts system. Philosophy, staff, and curriculum are described for the craft school which has 73 majors who take one-third of their courses from the larger University. (JT)

Describes an Occupational Technology Curriculum, designed to meet the widely divergent needs of individuals already employed in industry or business who desire to upgrade a present skill or acquire a new one. The curriculum is structured so that half of the credits required for the associate degree are free electives and half are required core…