The American Community College

A comprehensive analysis of community colleges in the United States—updated with the latest research

The revised seventh edition of The American Community College is an essential resource for practitioners and graduate students in the field of higher education. This book has been providing up-to-date information and statistics about community colleges for four decades and is a trusted and revered reference. Covering community college students, faculty, curriculum, assessment, finance, governance, and more, this book provide a thorough understanding of the role community colleges play in the American educational system. For educators, policymakers, and philanthropists alike, community colleges are important as the nexus of national efforts to prepare a highly skilled workforce and as the lynchpin of the K-20 education pipeline. This book delivers the facts and context readers need to make informed decisions in the community college space.

Written by leading researchers in the field, The American Community College has been thoroughly revised with a greater focus on equity. Further, this edition includes access to online supplemental materials, including end-of-chapter guiding questions and a guide for transitioning from the 6th to the 7th edition. Additional updates include coverage of collaborations with community, economic, and workforce development organizations; a greater focus on entrepreneurship and innovation; recent efforts to improve student persistence and attainment through guided pathways and equity-minded student supports; and the growing emphasis on preparing a skilled workforce via noncredit training, credit for prior learning, micro-credentials, and community college baccalaureate programs. Readers of The American Community College will:

• Benefit from a comprehensive analysis of the most recent findings and up-to-date information on the American community college.
• Find completely revised and updated information about recent changes in the community college landscape
• Obtain current information on student access and outcomes, instruction, student services, and curricular functions
• Learn from updated tables and graphs that reflect the most current data and incorporate new examples of the services that colleges provide

Since it was first published in 1982, The American Community College has become the primary resource that faculty, administrators, trustees, and researchers look to for information on these quintessentially American institutions.

Preface vii

Acknowledgments xvii

About the Authors xix

1. Background: Evolving Priorities and Expectations of the Community College 1

2. Students: Diverse Backgrounds and Purposes 47

3. Faculty: Building a Professional Identity 87

4. Governance, Organization, and Administration: Managing the Contemporary College 119

5. Finances: Generating, Sustaining, and Allocating Resources 163

6. Teaching and Learning: Methods, Media, and Effects 201

7. Student Services: Supporting Educational Objectives 231

8. Developmental Education: Enhancing Literacy and the Likelihood of Success in College 265

9. Integrative Education: General Education for the Twenty- First Century 297

10. Liberal Arts and the Transfer Function: Preparation for the University 319

11. Occupational Education: Growth and Change in Workforce Preparation 345

12. Serving the Community: Extending College Services and Training 387

13. Student Progress and Outcomes: A Focus on Equity and Accountability 415

14. Scholarship and Commentary: Perspectives of the Community College 459

15. Toward the Future: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities 481

Appendix: For- Profit Institutions 511

References 537

Name Index 611

Subject Index 621

Carrie B. Kisker is president of Kisker Education and leads the Center for the Study of Community Colleges.

Arthur M. Cohen was professor of higher education at the University of California, Los Angeles from 1964 to 2004 and editor-in-chief of the journal New Directions for Community Colleges.

Florence B. Brawer was research director of the Center for the Study of Community Colleges and associate editor of New Directions for Community Colleges.

Community colleges are a bedrock of the American educational and economic landscape. They enroll nearly half of all college students and play an important role in regional economic development and workforce training efforts.

The American Community College, now in its seventh edition, has long been the go-to reference for current and aspiring administrators, policymakers, faculty, trustees, and researchers concerned with the role of community colleges in the United States. This comprehensive book covers the services community colleges provide, their impact on students and surrounding communities, and how they are approaching contemporary issues related to equity, sustainability, and student success.

Written by leading researchers in the field, this seventh edition has been thoroughly revised with a greater focus on equitable approaches to serving students and communities and the social role of these important institutions. Additional updates include coverage of collaborations with community, economic, and workforce development organizations; a greater focus on entrepreneurship and innovation; recent efforts to improve student persistence and attainment through guided pathways and equity-minded student supports; and the growing emphasis on preparing a skilled workforce via noncredit training, credit for prior learning, non-degree credentials, and community college baccalaureate programs. Each chapter includes guiding questions for reflection and discussion, making this an ideal textbook or training resource. As community colleges grow in significance, The American Community College keeps step with the very latest research and institutional changes.

This comprehensive book will be of value to anyone concerned with the role and purpose of community colleges in America. Administrators, faculty, staff, and trustees can use the descriptions and analyses of the institution’s functions to learn about successful practices in college leadership, finance, curriculum, pedagogy, and the provision of equitable support for students. Additionally, scholars, students planning careers in community colleges, and trustees and officials concerned with policies and outcomes will all find important context and current research and statistics inside. With this update, The American Community College further cements its status as the most important book on the subject.

Praise for the Seventh Edition of The American Community College

“Serving as a primer for all things community college for the past four decades, Dr. Carrie Kisker delivers a timely update to this seminal piece, The American Community College. College leaders and faculty who read this new edition will explore community college trends along with best practices to help successfully navigate the new realities of a post-pandemic world.”
—Dr. Steven R. Gonzales, Chancellor, Maricopa Community Colleges

“Kisker artfully captures the community college movement by examining its origins, its complexity in operation, its aspirations and the perspectives of critical friends who desire to see the movement flourish. Mandatory reading for any postsecondary professional.”
—Dr. Christopher M. Mullin, Lumina Foundation and author, Community College Finance

“The American Community College, Seventh Edition chronicles the community college enterprise from its origins to the contemporary landscape. Carrie B. Kisker’s latest iteration offers readers the breadth of earlier editions yet greater depth relative to the evolving nuances of enrollment management, funding/resource development, shared governance, curriculum, academic equity, and student success in an ever-changing higher learning environment.”
— Dr. Eboni M. Zamani-Gallaher, Professor and Associate Dean for Equity, Justice, and Strategic Partnerships, University of Pittsburgh, and Executive Director, Council for the Study of Community Colleges

“For over four decades this book has been the gold standard for information on the community college, and now with Carrie Kisker’s exceptional Seventh Edition that standard is ensured for many years to come.”
— Dr. Terry O’Banion, President Emeritus, League for Innovation in the Community College and Senior Professor of Practice, Kansas State University