Staff Development Needs of Public Community College Department/Division Chairpersons

Abstract

No administrative position appears to be more pivotal in facilitating grassroots change in the community college than that of the department or division chairperson. However, no one, until the present effort, has systematically assessed two-year college chairpersons to determine what they perceive their staff development needs to be. The results of the present study indicate that preservice and inservice training received by chairpersons was generally nominal, and that self-improvement activity appears weak. Further, the respondents reported extensive and serious needs related to knowledge of the community college, managerial skills, personnel matters, administrative matters, curriculum and instruction, student personnel services, and some 18 other possible training needs ranging from the law and higher education to the effective use of a secretary. Chairpersons were also asked to indicate what they consider to be the most convenient times and conditions for inservice training. They suggest that they would seek out substantially more training than they do if better funding, time, and site configurations were made available. Finally, concrete recommendations are made to increase the availability of training of two-year college chairpersons.     

Creating a New Architecture for the Learning College

The publication of A Nation at Risk in 1983 triggered a series of major reform efforts in education that are still evolving. As part of the reform efforts, leaders began to refer to a Learning Revolution that would “place learning first by overhauling the traditional architecture of education.” The old architecture—time-bound, place-bound, role-bound, and bureaucracy-bound—was an artifact of earlier eras when school was designed for an agricultural and an industrial economy. It was easy for educational leaders to “place learning first” by changing their language. Vice Presidents of Academic Affairs became Vice Presidents of Learning; Learning Outcomes became the universal goal; the institutions became Learning Colleges. New mission and value statements began to appear in community college catalogs to reflect the new emphasis on learning. The American Association of Community Colleges joined the revolution with a new mission statement: “Building a nation of learners by advancing America's community colleges.” The really hard work was to “overhaul the traditional architecture.” This brief article takes a first step in suggesting what that “overhaul” might look like for departmental structures, workload formula, grading, late registration, and some of the time-bound artifacts. It is noted that the 5 examples are but the tip of the iceberg if community colleges are to fully engage the Learning Revolution.     

JOB SATISFACTION AND COMMITMENT OF TWO-YEAR COLLEGE PART-TIME FACULTY

One of the more significant trends in higher education has been the recent increase in dependence on part-time faculty members. Community colleges, more than any other sector of higher education, have been affected by this trend. However, few scholars and policy makers have made systematic studies to identify whether these individuals are satisfied with their roles, responsibilities, and rewards. The purpose of this investigation was to use nationally representative data to comprehensively study the job satisfaction and commitment of two-year college part-time faculty members. In doing so, this study provided richer definitions of job satisfaction and commitment that for practical and theoretical purposes better capture the multidimensionality of the psychological constructs of job satisfaction and commitment.     

An Exploratory Study of Self-efficacy in Community College Students

Approximately 6500 elected or appointed trustees govern local community colleges in 36 states. The great majority of these trustees are extraordinary citizens motivated by the opportunity to provide service to their communities and to their colleges. On occasion, a trustee emerges whose motivations do not support the common good; some of these trustees are known as “rogue trustees.” Like the rogue elephant, the rogue trustee runs roughshod over the norms and standards of expected behaviors. They tend to poison the culture of the college, and they can cause enormous damage. In this study 59 presidents share their mini-case studies of what motivates the rogue trustee. The study sheds light on a delicate issue that has been in the community college closet for decades.     

Modeling the processes of development via latent variable growth curve methodology

Recent advances in statistical methodology, in particular, latent growth modeling, allow for the testing of complex models regarding developmental trends from both an inter‐ and intraindividual perspective. An example application of latent growth curve methodology, analyzing the effects of gender and parental monitoring on developmental change in adolescent alcohol consumption, is presented. Furthermore, the analyses are conducted within a cohort‐sequential design, incorporating an approach to the analysis of missing data due to attrition. Findings are discussed with particular reference to the utility of latent growth curve models for assessing developmental processes at both the inter‐and intraindividual level across a variety of behavioral domains.     

Creating a Culture of Innovation in the Community College

As we approach the second decade of the new millennium, there is a renaissance of innovation in education, a resurgence of interest and experimentation that begs for analysis and review. To that end, the League for Innovation in the Community College proposed to conduct a national study on the nature of innovation in the community college using recipients of its Innovation of the Year award from 1999 through 2008 as a data set. With funding from MetLife Foundation, researchers examined these innovations and explored the perspectives of the winners of these awards. In September 2009, a survey created by the researchers with assistance from a focus group—field-tested on a sample of winners not included in the project and vetted by a national advisory committee—was distributed electronically to the 400 award winners; 117 respondents returned surveys for a return rate of 29%. In addition to the survey, more than 40 of the award winners were interviewed using interview questions created by the researchers and vetted by the national advisory committee. The full report and all project findings can be accessed at www.league.org/natureofinnovation. Based on the findings from this national study on the nature of innovation, this article addresses the challenge of creating a culture of innovation in the community college. The characteristics of a culture that support and encourage innovation and the role of leaders in shaping that culture are featured in the article.     

Effects of a Computer-Based Early Reading Program on the Early Reading and Oral Language Skills of At-Risk Preschool Children

This study examined the effects of a computer-based early reading program (Headsprout Early Reading) on the oral language and early reading skills of at-risk preschool children. In a pretest–posttest control group design, 62 children were randomly assigned to receive supplemental instruction with Headsprout Early Reading (experimental group) or Millie's Math House (control group) for 30 min each school day for 8 weeks. Children using Headsprout Early Reading made greater gains in early reading skills as measured by the Test of Early Reading Ability (TERA-3), F(1, 59) = 39.35, p < 0.01, and in oral language skills as measured by the Test of Language Development-Primary (TOLD-P:3), F(1, 59) = 37.03, p < 0.01. Effect sizes were large for the gains in both measures (TERA-3, η² = 0.24; TOLD-P:3, η² = 0.17). Teachers' responses to an open-ended interview indicated that the program was perceived as a desirable instructional aid. Educational considerations for preventing future reading difficulties and issues about implementation integrity are discussed.     

Bringing web‐enhanced courses to communities of learners in early childhood teacher education

Abstract

In our graduate programs in early childhood education, we model constructivist practice in the belief that teachers are better able to understand and implement constructivist principles having experienced them in their work. In this practice we attempt to be explicit about constructivist practice in our program and in elementary classrooms. As we examine and modify our constructivist pedagogy, one key question for teachers and ourselves emerges: What does a classroom based on constructivist pedagogy look like in early childhood (K‐2)? The goal of this research is a clearer understanding of constructivist pedagogy in the context of primary classrooms. The study was designed using qualitative methods in order to understand the experiences in classrooms guided by constructivist theory. The classroom participants are six teachers who graduated from a Master's degree program based on constructivist principles. Analysis of the six classrooms indicated 24 key elements of constructivist classrooms. A focused analysis of three constructivist teachers and their classroom supports these elements and indicates three broader characteristics: the important role of children, authentic and purposeful interactions among classroom participants, and engagement in academic activity. A vignette of a constructivist classroom is provided to present the essence of our findings while maintaining participants' views and voices.