Tools – Recent Reports - Annotated Bibliography

Alliance for Excellent Education. Paying Double: Inadequate High Schools and Community College Remediation. Issue Brief, August 2006.

The vast majority of students who take remedial courses in college do so to gain the skills and knowledge they should have gotten in high school, and which are necessary for them to succeed in for-credit college classes; however, the cost of remediation is high, and more benefits can be found in improving student preparation. The article calls for reducing the need for remediation by improving high schools, specifically curricula, academic standards and course alignment.

Program Area: Developmental Education, Academic Pathways

Bettinger, Eric P. & Long, Bridget Terry. Addressing the Needs of Under-Prepared Students in Higher Education: Does College Remediation Work? National Bureau of Economic Research, NBER Working Paper No. 1132, May 2005.

Approximately one-third of entering postsecondary students require remedial or developmental work before entering college-level courses. However, little is known about the causal impact of remediation on student outcomes. This project addresses these critical questions by examining the effects of math and English remediation using a unique dataset of approximately 28,000 students. The results suggest that students in remediation are more likely to persist in college in comparison to students with similar test scores and backgrounds who were not required to take the courses.

Program Area: Academic Pathways, Developmental Education

Bragg, Debra D. et al. A Cross-Case Analysis of Career Pathway Programs that Link Low-Skilled Adults to Family-Sustaining Wage Careers. In Brief. Office of Community College Research and Leadership, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006.

Nearly half of the nation’s college students enroll in community colleges in which the average age of students is over 25, and students are enrolled in non-credit coursework. This research study asks the question: What programs, policies, and practices, particularly curricular, institutional and support strategies, are currently being implemented to support the progress of low-skilled adults through career pathways?

Program Area: Adult Education

Davig, William B. & Spain, Judith W. Impact on Freshmen Retention of Orientation Course Content: Proposed Persistence Model. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 5(3), 305-323, 2003-2004.

Using Tinto’s integration model, this study looked at the relation between first-year course components and persistence. It found that first-year orientation activities which aided social and institutional integration were the most salient factors. In addition, components such as study skills, tours of the campus, and information on services such as advising also led to re-enrollment.

Program Area: Student Support Services

Dowd, Alicia C. et al. Transfer Access to Elite Colleges and Universities in the United States: Threading the Needle of the American Dream. The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, 2006.

For many low-income students, a community college education can open doors to opportunity, including serving as a gateway to a four-year degree; however, many students face cultural and economic barriers to completing their bachelor’s degrees. A key finding of this study is that the critical relation between transfer counselors and students is critical and suggests a greater institutionalization of transfer students’ needs.

Program Area: Transfer and Articulation Agreements

Grant-Vallone, E., et al., An Analysis of the Effects of Self-Esteem, Social Support, and Participation in Student Support Services on Students’ Adjustment and Commitment to College. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice 5(3), p. 255-274, 2003-2004.

Students participating in support programs such as the Education Opportunity Program (EOP) were surveyed for self-esteem, peer and family support, program utilization, academic/social adjustment, and commitment to college. The study revealed that students who participated in support services and counseling (as well as those with higher self-esteem and better support) were better adjusted, and therefore more committed to obtaining a degree at their university.

Program Area: Student Support Services

Farrell, Patricia L. The Process of Transforming into a High-Performing Academic Community: A Case Study of a Community College. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Association for the Study of Higher Education, Portland, Oregon, 2003.

This case study is about transformational change within a community college. It examines how a branch campus in the American Southwest has undergone purposeful and deep changes in numerous areas. including student retention, teaching and learning, and community relations. Beginning with a strategic plan, the campus improved on student success and enhanced the local culture of the campus community.

Program Area: Community Based partnerships, student support services

Glenn, Frank S. The Retention of Black Males in Texas Public Community Colleges. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 5(2), p.115, 2003-2004

This qualitative case study identifies strategies that keep black male students enrolled in public community colleges. It finds significant improvement in persistence at schools where required advising, orientation courses for credit, attendance monitoring, minority-specific retention plans, and required tutoring occurred more frequently. Also, the higher retention rate school had a more residential, close knit, friendly campus, and referred low performing students to support.

Program Area: Student Support Services

Gruber, David. Building Community College/ CBO Partnerships. Workforce Strategy Center, New York, 2004.

A pathways model that targets regional labor markets, focuses on employment sectors, and combines education, training, and on-the-job learning best supports career progression. The focal point of this model is an institution—the community college—that links all of the entities in the workforce development system. This report discusses a key feature of career pathways; namely, partnerships between community colleges and community-based organizations (CBOs).

Program Area: Community Based Partnerships

The Institute for College Access & Success. Green Lights and Red Tape: improving access to financial aid at California’s community colleges. Washington, DC 2007.

While California’s community colleges have very low fees, additional expenses can create significant financial barriers to attending and staying in school. The study examines 21 colleges representing a broad cross-section of the CCC system, reviews the most recent available research, and interviews experts on community colleges, financial aid, and related fields. This report focuses on policies and practices that vary widely from college to college and can have a particularly significant effect on students’ access to financial aid.

Program Area: Academic Pathways, Student Support Services

Kissam, Carol Ann. Partnerships that Work. Association for Program Administrators of CSTEP and STEP. APACS, Inc Newsletter. Accessed on Nov. 2, 2007: www.apacs.org/10yr_report/10yr_1.html.

The Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) was established to identify historically underrepresented or economically disadvantaged students in grades 7-12 and to prepare them to enter postsecondary degree programs in scientific, technical, and health-related fields. In an evaluation after 10 years of activity, the evaluators found compelling statistical evidence that the programs are succeeding in accomplishing their objectives.

The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. The Governance Divide: A Report on a Four-State Study on Improving College Readiness and Success. Stanford Institute for Higher Education Research and the Institute for Educational Leadership, 2005.

According to the report, states must do a better job of pushing elementary and secondary schools and postsecondary institutions to work together. States should ensure that what students are asked to know in high school is connected to what is expected of them in college. The report outlines four areas in which states need to help improve students’ transition from high school to college: better alignment of courses, financial aid, accountability, and data systems.

Program Area: Credit Transfer and Articulation Agreements, Academic Pathways

Pagan, R. & Edwards-Wilson, R. A mentoring program for remedial students. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 4 (3), p. 207-226, 2002-2003.

The purpose of this study was to determine if mentoring programs had any effect on improving grades and the retention of at-risk students at an urban public college. Mentors worked with 5 to 8 mentees, and met with them both in person and on the phone at least twice throughout the academic year to discuss academic/personal issues. The approximate retention rate for the mentoring project was 60 percent.

Program Area: Student Support Services, Developmental Education

Peterson, Shari L & delMas, Robert. Effects of Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy and Degree Utility on Student Persistence: A Path Analytic Study. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 3(3), p. 285, 2001-2002.

The study contends that realizing the utility of a degree is especially important to underprepared students. They are more likely to persist if they can see the connections to their careers. The student’s Career Decision Making Self Efficacy (CDMSE) directly affected integration, and therefore persistence.

Program Area: Career Pathways

Tinto, V. Enhancing Student Persistence: Connecting the Dots. Presentation at Optimizing the Nation’s Investment: Persistence and Success in Postsecondary Education. Conference sponsored by the Wisconsin Center for the Advancement of Postsecondary Education, The University of Wisconsin, Madison, October 23-25, 2002.

Since getting into college is no guarantee of graduation, this article expands the definition of student access to include access to a degree. Persistence towards a degree remains a problem, especially among low-income youth. Five conditions stand out as supportive of persistence: expectation, advice, support, involvement, and learning.

Program Area: Academic Pathways, Student Support Services

Tsapogas, John. The Role of Community Colleges in the Education of Recent Science and Engineering Graduates. National Science Foundation, Division of Science Resources Statistics NSF 04-315, April 2004.

Community colleges play a prominent role in the education experiences of college graduates. This report examines both the role of community colleges in the education experiences of science and engineering (S&E) degree recipients and how this role differs among subgroups of the U.S. population. The likelihood of having attended a community college is examined by broad field study, highest degree received, student demographics, and undergraduate grade-point average.

Program Area: Integrating STEM and Academics

Vargas, J.H. College Knowledge: Addressing Information Barriers to College. College Access Services: The Education Resources Institute (TERI), Boston, MA, 2004.

Low-income, minority, and first-generation students are especially likely to lack specific types of “college knowledge.” They often do not understand the steps necessary to prepare for higher education, which include knowing how to finance a college education, to complete basic admissions procedures, and to make connections between career goals and education requirements.

Program Area: Academic Pathways