Beyond Community College Accountability: Using Data to Investigate Best Practices for Institutional Improvement

The Voluntary Framework of Accountability (VFA) launched in 2011 is the first national system of community college accountability. Sponsored by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) in collaboration with the Association of Community College Trustees and the College Board, the VFA will shortly report to the public on measures of student progress and learning outcomes and on measures of workforce, economic, and community development. The author of this paper proposes that AACC move beyond community college accountability toward creating and sustaining, among college administrators, a common culture of VFA data use to investigate best practices for institutional improvement. To advance this proposition, the discourse presented centers on a proof-of-concept model. The study uses longitudinal data to illustrate its potential for community college administrators to identify best practices for improving institutional performance in first-year college retention.     

The Next Generation of Community College Leaders

Nearly a decade ago, Sullivan presented her interpretation of the four generations of community college leaders by describing them as “the founding fathers, the good managers, the collaborators, and the millennium generation” (Sullivan, 2001 Sullivan , L. G. ( 2001 ). Four generations of community college leadership . Community College Journal of Research and Practice , 25 , 559 – 571 .[Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar], p. 559). She predicted a shift to frames utilizing the Four-Frame Model of Leadership by Bolman and Deal (1991 Bolman , L. G. , & Deal , T. E. (1991). Leadership and management effectiveness: A multi-frame, multi-sector analysis. Human Resource Management , 30, 509–534.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). This article provides a discussion of the research that has been published using the Bolman and Deal model and a synopsis of the current leadership challenges faced by community college leaders. And finally, a new prediction is made of the values, skills, and frames needed for these leaders.     

“自愿问责框架”:美国社区学院问责制的关键

“自愿问责框架”是美国首个由社区学院构建、为社区学院服务的综合性问责框架.“自愿问责框架”主要包括“学生进步和成果测量”、“劳动力、经济和社区发展测量”、“学生学习成果测量”三大测量工具.“自愿问责框架”实质上就是社区学院主动向利益相关方报告自身教育质量和资源使用效率等情况.作为一套为社区学院“量身定制”的绩效评估工具,“自愿问责框架”具有通用性和可比性,它简化了社区学院开展问责的流程.为满足实际需求,“自愿问责框架”一直在不断更新与完善.尽管“自愿问责框架”的实施面临不少难题,但它很有可能成为美国社区学院的基本问责框架,影响社区学院的未来发展.     

The Order of Things: Ethical Foundations for Community College Leaders

This article calls attention to the need for community college leaders to develop a deeper understanding of ethics in preparation for addressing ethical issues that arise in the administration of their institutions. It discusses briefly the nature of ethics and the ethical theories of some modern and postmodern authors. The article is concerned with how students in a doctoral program of study in community college leadership can incorporate ethics into their study of leadership, and it describes briefly the manner in which this is done at Mississippi State University.     

Short-Term Leadership Development: Meeting a Need for Emerging Community College Leaders

With retirements looming in the ranks of senior leadership, the need for short-term, intensive, focused leadership development targeting midlevel administrators has become acute. Through survey responses and in-depth interviews, this study examines leadership development needs of midlevel community college administrators who aspire to higher leadership positions. The plethora of short-term programs currently available through local colleges, states, and professional associations—while well-intentioned—are most often serendipitous and without clear focus or theoretical underpinning. This study suggests a framework for providing coherent, high impact, short-term leadership development opportunities to assist emerging leaders meet the challenges of today's increasingly complex colleges.     

Preparing Reflective Community College Leaders in a Graduate Leadership Course

This study measured the knowledge construction and reflection that occurred in a doctoral course designed to introduce major leadership theories and encourage reflection as a community college leadership practice. At each session, students completed forms reporting new learning and insights they experienced, as well as responding to reflection catalysts. Three themes emerged from the data: reflection on previous internal perspectives about leadership, critical review of personal and theoretical constructs, and embracing relational leadership. By the end of the course, students acknowledged the value of collaborative learning, and demonstrated changed perspectives regarding leadership practices, together with increased habits of reflection. Implications for graduate-level instruction and further research are proposed, based on the conclusion that the New Learning process is valuable for certain types of classes, is beneficial for professional development, and conforms to principles of transformative learning among adults.     

Anatomy of a Community College Faculty Diversity Program

Diversifying the faculty in community colleges, especially with faculty of color, continues to be problematic as we move through the first decade of the 21st Century. National statistics show that overwhelmingly the faculty continues to be Caucasian, even at a time when more and more students are coming from diverse ethnic backgrounds. This seemingly intractable problem is particularly acute in California, where the majority of community college students are students of color, but not the faculty. A faculty diversity program that has been in existence for 17 years has made important progress in changing the situation in southern California. This comprehensive program recruits, trains, and places interns in 10 community colleges in cooperation with a regional university. The results of the program demonstrate that substantial numbers of faculty of color are being prepared by the program and that they are getting hired in community colleges as adjunct and full-time faculty. Community colleges can be and should be proactive in identifying, developing, and hiring faculty of color. They shouldn't wait for other societal institutions to do the job for them. By working cooperatively with other local colleges, community based organizations that involve communities of color, and nearby universities, they have the opportunity to make significant inroads into diversifying their faculty. This program can and should be replicated in other parts of the country as a way to nurture the next generation of community college faculty leaders.     

Fostering Community College Leaders: An Examination of Leadership Development Programs

The study reported in this paper identifies leadership development practices within community colleges by surveying North Carolina community college presidents and evaluating an individual North Carolina community college's leadership institute. The results of the study indicate these community colleges indeed have an interest in leadership development activities for its employees, and the examined leadership institutes are quite effective and beneficial for its participants. Based upon these findings, two sets of recommendations are offered for fostering leadership initiatives within community colleges, namely, a focus on more significant topics for community college employees and developing a leadership learning community within a community college.     

Creating a New University-Based Community College Leadership Program

The author describes the process for developing a new Community College Leadership (CCL) curriculum for a certificate, master's, and doctoral degree in adult and higher education. The article details the research strategy in learning about Oklahoma's community colleges, existing national community college leadership programs, relevant courses needed for a leadership emphasis, and the desired methods to deliver such courses. The author describes the additional steps undertaken to create a relationship with Oklahoma's community colleges and their leaders. A qualitative study was conducted to learn from the community college presidents what challenges, knowledge, and skills future leaders needed to possess. The overarching theme that emerged from the study was the political nature of community colleges and leadership. This political theme placed all other themes secondary to the necessity of leaders being cognizant and skilled at being political beings. Even the theme of inadequate funding was linked to politics. The article concludes with detailed information on the new curriculum and future research and practical application.     

Results of a Pilot Study to Investigate Community College Student Perceptions of the Value of an Online Health-Risk Reduction Program

Health is associated with academic success. Universal, web-based interventions to reduce risks associated with alcohol and other drug use have been found to be effective at changing four-year college students’ health behaviors. An online health program may also be well-suited to a community college population, as it can reach students off campus and can be accessed at times that are convenient for students. The purpose of the current paper is to report the results of a community college student evaluation of a fully-developed, online health risk reduction program. One hundred and thirty four students evaluated the program. Students perceived the program to be successful at addressing college health and wellness issues, and they considered it a tool that could help students make a healthy adjustment to college. A universal, online, health-risk reduction program may have the potential to be a useful component of a community college's overall prevention strategy.     

Exploring Community College Faculty Perceptions of Student Outcomes: Findings of a Pilot Study

This study explored the paradigmatic differences in perceptions of community college faculty employed at select Virginia and West Virginia community colleges collected via a web-based survey. The study is framed within the faculty self-classification along the “hard” and “social/behavior” science paradigm continuum. Given the paradigmatic continuum, faculty perceptions' of student outcomes were examined. Faculty respondents consistently reported the importance of intellectual growth; however, differences in relative importance of outcomes tied to emotional, cultural, and social growth exist. The potential implications of these perceptions on student experiences and outcomes are considered.     

Creating Pathways to College for Migrant Students: Assessing a Migrant Outreach Program

Migrant students are among the most disadvantaged of any groups in the United States, yet little is understood about factors that facilitate their college access. College access outreach programs rarely collect data on whether and where their students go to college. This longitudinal study tracked the college-going behaviors of migrant students who participated in the Migrant Student Leadership Institute (MSLI), a program whose goals include increasing migrant students' 4-year college access. The program emphasizes developing students' capacity for critical thinking about sociopolitical conditions, as well as their academic preparation for, and knowledge about, college. Results from analyses using an equivalent comparison group suggest that the program positively affected participants' application rates to, and enrollment rates in, more selective California public higher education institutions, including campuses of the University of California (UC) system. This article addresses factors that potentially accounted for these outcomes.     

The Transition Lynchpin: The Voices of Individuals with Disabilities Who Attended a Community College Transition Program

Nearly 60% of students with disabilities who attend postsecondary institutions attend community colleges. Individuals with disabilities paralleling their peers without disabilities need the postsecondary education opportunity to develop vocational skills, the time to mature, and the experience of living with others. A transition program, a K–12 and community college partnership, was developed to support students in this mission. A narrative inquiry methodology was utilized to understand the community college experience of students with disabilities in a transition program. Findings indicate that the program benefited the individuals. It did this by supporting completion of a vocational program leading to gainful employment and as a transition into adult roles and status. The program also provided opportunities that enhanced the individuals' self-esteem, and it facilitated the individuals becoming more independent and responsible.     

The Authoritativeness of Michigan's Educational Accountability Program

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to measure Michigan's K-8 teachers' understanding of, and attitudes toward, a state department of education demand for accountability and assessment of learning outcomes, using Barnard's theory of authority as a framework for analysis.

A 32-statement instrument, based on Barnard's four principles of the authoritative ness of organizational communications was developed, field tested, and mailed to 500 systematically selected K-8 Michigan teachers so that data could be collected to determine the degree to which the K-8 teachers: (1) can and do understand the accountability and assessment communications, (2) believe the accountability and assessment communications consistent with the purposes of the school organization as they understand them, (3) believe the accountability and assessment communications compatible with their personal interest, and (4) are able, mentally and physically, to comply with the accountability and assessment communications. Using these criteria, this sample of K-8 Michigan teachers theoretically will withdraw their vital cooperation from the state's accountability and assessment program.     

Community College Program Planning: A Method to Measure and Meet Community Need

Offering academic programs that meet community need has long been a core mission of community colleges. However, determining which job skills and credentials are needed for employment in the community is challenging. In order to facilitate a holistic and community-based perspective, our 2-year community college developed a structured curricular planning model to guide programmatic decision-making based on regional economic and labor-market data. These procedures cumulatively inform comprehensive curricular planning related to program offerings and describe the relationship of this process to integrated planning. This model can assist other community colleges with designing processes to refine programing mix.