The following is a select bibliography of further readings on current issues facing community colleges.
The readings are brief, and most are relatively contemporary, published within the last five to ten years. While they are by no means comprehensive, they represent a broad perspective on current challenges, and should prove thought-provoking.
The list is first organized alphabetically by author. In the second half, the same sources are sorted into topic areas, each directed toward a timely issue faced by community college leaders.
Click the article title for access. (If you encounter problems, right-click on the title, “copy hyperlink/copy link address,” and paste the address into your browser.)
Listed alphabetically by author:
- AAC&U. (2007). College Learning for the New Global Century. Liberal Education and America’s Promise. Washington, D.C.: Association of American Colleges and Universities.
- AACC. (1988). Building Communities: A Vision for a New Century. Washington, D.C.: American Association of Community Colleges.
- AACC. (2013). Competencies for Community College Leaders. Washington, D.C.: American Association of Community Colleges.
- AACC. (2012). Voluntary Framework of Accountability–Developing Measures of Community College Effectiveness & Outcomes. Washington, D.C.: American Association of Community Colleges.
- ACCT. (2016). Trusteeship 101. Washington, D.C.: Association of Community College Trustees.
- Adelman, C. (2006). The Toolbox Revisited: Paths to Degree Completion from High School Through College.Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education.
- Alfred, R.L. et al. (1999). Core Indicators of Effectiveness for Community Colleges. Washington, D.C.: American Association of Community Colleges.
- Alssid, J.L. et al. (2002). Building a Career Pathways System: Promising Practices in Community College-Centered Workforce Development. Brooklyn, NY: Workforce Strategy Center.
- Austin, J.T., et al. (2012). Portable Stackable Credentials: A New Education Model for Industry-Specific Career Pathways. New York: McGraw-Hill Research Foundation.
- Baum, S. & Kurose. (2012.) Community Colleges in Context: Exploring Financing of Two- and Four-Year Institutions. In The Century Foundation (eds.), Bridging the Higher Education Divide. New York, NY: The Century Foundation Press.
- Bautsch, B. (2013). Reforming Remedial Education. In Hot Topics in Higher Education. Denver, CO: National Conference of State Legislatures.
- Boggs, G.R. (2010). Democracy’s Colleges: The Evolution of the Community College in America. Washington, D.C.: American Association of Community Colleges.
- Brock, T. (2010). Evaluating Programs for Community College Students: How Do We Know What Works?New York, NY: MDRC.
- Carnevale, A.P. (2016). Credentials and Competencies: Demonstrating the Economic Value of Postsecondary Education. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.
- Carnevale, A.P. et al. (2011). Career Clusters: Forecasting Demand for High School through College Jobs, 2008-2018. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.
- Carnevale, A.P. et al. (2011). The College Payoff: Education, Occupations and Lifetime Earnings. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.
- Carnevale, A.P. et al. (2010). Help Wanted: Projections of Jobs and Education Requirements through 2018. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.
- CCCSE. (2014). A Matter of Degrees, Practices to Pathways: High Impact Practices for Community College Student Success. Austin, TX: Center for Community College Student Engagement.
- CCCSE. (2014). Notes From the Literature: Part-Time Faculty in Higher Education. Austin, TX: Center for Community College Student Engagement.
- Century Foundation. (2013.) Bridging the Higher Education Divide: Strengthening Community Colleges and Restoring the American Dream. New York, NY: The Century Foundation Press.
- Clark, J.E. (2010). The Digital Imperative: Making the Case for a 21st Century Pedagogy. Computers and Composition (27)1: 27-35.
- Complete College America. (2012). Core Principles for Transforming Remedial Education: A Joint Statement. Austin, TX: The Charles A. Dana Center.
- Cooper, M. (2010). Student Support Services at Community College: A Strategy for Increasing Student Persistence and Attainment. Washington: American Association of Community Colleges.
- Dowd, A.D. (2005). Data Don’t Drive: Building a Practitioner Culture of Inquiry to Assess Community College Performance.Indianapolis: Lumina Foundation.
- Dowdy, H.B. (1996). A Manual for Trustees: Role, Responsibilities, Relationships. Raleigh, NC: North Carolina Community College System.
- Duscha, S. & Graves, W.L. (2007). The Employer as the Client: State-Financed Customized Training. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Labor.
- Ennis-Cole, D.L. & Lawton, T.H. (2004). Teaching, Technology and Support in the New Millennium: A Guide for New Community College Teachers. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 28: 583-592
- Eyster, L., et al. (2013.) Innovations and Future Directions for Workforce Development in the Post-Recession Era. Washington, D.C.: The Urban Institute.
- Florida College System. (2013). Florida College System Trustee Manual. Tallahassee, FL: Florida Department of Education.
- Gault, B. & Reichlin. (2014). Student Parents and Access to Child Care at Community Colleges. Washington, D.C.: Institute for Women’s Policy Research.
- Goldrick-Rab, S. et al. (2013). Clearing the Path to a Brighter Future: Addressing Barriers to Community College Access and Success. Washington, D.C.: Association of Community College Trustees.
- Grubb, W.N. et al. (2011). Understanding the “Crisis” in Basic Skills: Framing the Issues in Community Colleges.Stanford, CA: Policy Analysis for California Education.
- Handel, S.J. & R.A. Williams. (2012). The Promise of the Transfer Pathway: Opportunity and Challenge for Community College Students Seeking the Baccalaureate Degree. New York: College Board.
- Holzer, H. (2009). Strong Students, Strong Workers: Models for Student Success through Workforce Development and Community College Partnerships. Washington, D.C.: The Urban Institute.
- IWPR. (2017). Understanding the New College Majority: The Demographic and Financial Characteristics of Independent Students and their Postsecondary Outcomes. Washington, D.C.: Institute for Women’s Policy Research.
- Jenkins, D., & Cho, S.W. (2012). Get With the Program: Accelerating Community College Students’ Entry into and Completion of Programs of Study. New York: Teachers College, Columbia University.
- Jimenez, L. et al. (2016). Remedial Education: The Cost of Catching Up. Washington, D.C.: Center for American Progress.
- Johnson, L. (2013). Technology Outlook for Community, Technical and Junior Colleges.Austin, TX: The New Media Consortium.
- Katsinas, S.G. et al. (2011). Access and Funding in Public Higher Education—the 2011 National Survey. Tuscaloosa, AL: Education Policy Center, University of Alabama.
- Katsinas, S.G. et al. (2012). Workforce Training in a Recovering Economy: Perceptions of Community College Leaders. Tuscaloosa, AL: Education Policy Center, University of Alabama.
- Kezar, A., and Holcombe, E. (2017). Shared Leadership in Higher Education: Important Lessons from Research and Practice. Washington, D.C.: American Council on Education.
- Kirst, M.W., et al. (2010). Broad-Access Higher Education: A Research Framework for a New Era. Palo Alto, CA: Center for Education Policy Analysis, Stanford University.
- Kurleander, M., et al. (2016). The Promises and Pitfalls of Measuring Community College Quality. RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences, 2(1), 174–190.
- Laitinen, A. (2012). Cracking the Credit Hour. Washington, D.C.: The New America Foundation.
- Levesque, K. et al. (2008). Career and Technical Education in the United States: 1990-2005. Washington, D.C.: National Center for Education Statistics.
- Lorenzo, G. (2013). The State of Workforce Development Initiatives at American’s Community Colleges. Retrieved from http://www.edpath.com/index_htm_files/WFDPDF.pdf.
- McKibbin, B. (2013). Financial Aid 101: A Guide to Understanding Federal Financial Aid Programs for Community College Trustees and Leaders.Washington, D.C.: Association of Community College Trustees.
- Millett, C. (2017). Designing Sustainable Funding for College Promise Initiatives. Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service.
- Morest, V.S., & Jenkins, D. (2007). Institutional Research and the Culture of Evidence at Community Colleges. New York: Community College Research Center at Columbia University.
- Mullin, C.M. (2012). It’s a Matter of Time: Low Income Students and Community Colleges. Washington, D.C.: American Association of Community Colleges.
- Mullin, C.M. (2012). Why Access Matters: The Community College Student Body. Washington, D.C.: American Association of Community Colleges.
- Prince, D. & Jenkins, D. (2005). Building Pathways to Success for Low Skill Adult Students: Lessons for Community College Policy and Practice from a Statewide Longitudinal Tracking Study. New York: Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University.
- Pusser, B. & Levin, J. (2009). Re-imagining Community Colleges in the 21st Century: A Student-Centered Approach to Higher Education. Washington, D.C.: Center for American Progress.
- Rothwell, J. (2017). Putting Students First: Are Associates Degrees Preparing Graduates for Successful Careers.Washington, D.C.: Association of Community College Trustees.
- Schneider, M. (2017). Return on Investment: What is the Value of the Associate Degree? Washington, D.C.: Association of Community College Trustees.
- Schulman, L. (2002). From Minsk to Pinsk: Why a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. The Journal of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 1(1):48-52.
- Scott-Clayton, J. & Rodriguez, O. (2012). Development, Discouragement, or Diversion? New Evidence on the Effects of College Remediation. Cambridge, MA: National Board of Economics Research.
- Shults, C. (2000). Remedial Education-Practices and Policies in Community Colleges. Washington, D.C.: American Association of Community Colleges.
- St. Rose, A. & Hill, C. (2013). Women in Community Colleges. Washington, D.C.: American Association of University Women.
- Symonds, W.C. et al. (2011). Pathways to Prosperity: Meeting the Challenge of Preparing Young Americans for the 21st Century. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Graduate School of Education.
- Van Noy, M. et al. (2008). The Landscape of Noncredit Workforce Education: State Policies and Community College Practices. New York: Community College Research Center, Columbia University.
- Wyner, J. (2013). Crisis and Opportunity: Aligning the Community College Presidency with Student Success. Retrieved from https://assets.aspeninstitute.org/content/uploads/files/content/upload/CEP_Final_Report.pdf.
- Yamada, H. (2014). Community College Pathways’ Program Success: Assessing the First Two Years’ Effectiveness of Statway®. Stanford, CA: Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
- Zachry, E.M. et al. (2012). Unlocking the Gate: What We Know about Improving Developmental Education. MDRC: Retrieved from https://www.mdrc.org/sites/default/files/full_595.pdf.
- Zachry, E.M. (2009). Promising Instructional Reforms in Developmental Education: A Case Study of Three Achieving-the-Dream Colleges. New York: MDRC.
Listed by topic:
Assessment/Institutional Effectiveness
- AACC. (2012). Voluntary Framework of Accountability–Developing Measures of Community College Effectiveness & Outcomes. Washington, D.C.: American Association of Community Colleges.
- Alfred, R.L. et al. (1999). Core Indicators of Effectiveness for Community Colleges. Washington, D.C.: American Association of Community Colleges.
- Brock, T. (2010). Evaluating Programs for Community College Students: How Do We Know What Works? New York, NY: MDRC.
- Dowd, A.D. (2005). Data Don’t Drive: Building a Practitioner Culture of Inquiry to Assess Community College Performance. Indianapolis: Lumina Foundation.
- IWPR. (2017). Understanding the New College Majority: The Demographic and Financial Characteristics of Independent Students and their Postsecondary Outcomes. Washington, D.C.: Institute for Women’s Policy Research.
- Kurleander, M., et al. (2016). The Promises and Pitfalls of Measuring Community College Quality. RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences, 2(1), 174–190.
- Morest, V.S., & Jenkins, D. (2007). Institutional Research and the Culture of Evidence at Community Colleges. New York: Community College Research Center at Columbia University.
Career Pathways
- Alssid, J.L. et al. (2002). Building a Career Pathways System: Promising Practices in Community College-Centered Workforce Development.Brooklyn, NY: Workforce Strategy Center.
- Austin, J.T., et al. (2012). Portable Stackable Credentials: A New Education Model for Industry-Specific Career Pathways.New York: McGraw-Hill Research Foundation.
- Carnevale, A.P. et al. (2011). Career Clusters: Forecasting Demand for High School through College Jobs, 2008-2018. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.
- Handel, S.J. & R.A. Williams. (2012). The Promise of the Transfer Pathway: Opportunity and Challenge for Community College Students Seeking the Baccalaureate Degree. New York: College Board.
- Prince, D. & Jenkins, D. (2005). Building Pathways to Success for Low Skill Adult Students: Lessons for Community College Policy and Practice from a Statewide Longitudinal Tracking Study. New York: Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University.
- Yamada, H. (2014). Community College Pathways’ Program Success: Assessing the First Two Years’ Effectiveness of Statway®. Stanford, CA: Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
The Community College of the Future
- AACC. (1988). Building Communities: A Vision for a New Century. Washington, D.C.: American Association of Community Colleges.
Boggs, G.R. (2010). Democracy’s Colleges: The Evolution of the Community College in America. Washington, D.C.: American Association of Community Colleges. - Carnevale, A.P. (2016). Credentials and Competencies: Demonstrating the Economic Value of Postsecondary Education. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.
- Carnevale, A.P. et al. (2011). The College Payoff: Education, Occupations and Lifetime Earnings. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.
- Century Foundation. (2013.) Bridging the Higher Education Divide: Strengthening Community Colleges and Restoring the American Dream New York, NY: The Century Foundation Press.
- Kirst, M.W., et al. (2010). Broad-Access Higher Education: A Research Framework for a New Era. Palo Alto, CA: Center for Education Policy Analysis, Stanford University.
- Pusser, B. & Levin, J. (2009). Re-imagining Community Colleges in the 21st Century: A Student-Centered Approach to Higher Education. Washington, D.C.: Center for American Progress.
Developmental/Remedial Education
- Bautsch, B. (2013). Reforming Remedial Education. In Hot Topics in Higher Education. Denver, CO: National Conference of State Legislatures.
- Complete College America. (2012). Core Principles for Transforming Remedial Education: A Joint Statement. Austin, TX: The Charles A. Dana Center.
- Grubb, W.N. et al. (2011). Understanding the “Crisis” in Basic Skills: Framing the Issues in Community Colleges.Stanford, CA: Policy Analysis for California Education.
- Jimenez, L. et al. (2016). Remedial Education: The Cost of Catching Up. Washington, D.C.: Center for American Progress.
- Scott-Clayton, J. & Rodriguez, O. (2012). Development, Discouragement, or Diversion? New Evidence on the Effects of College Remediation. Cambridge, MA: National Board of Economics Research.
- Shults, C. (2000). Remedial Education-Practices and Policies in Community Colleges. Washington, D.C.: American Association of Community Colleges.
- Zachry, E.M. et al. (2012). Unlocking the Gate: What We Know about Improving Developmental Education. MDRC: Retrieved from https://www.mdrc.org/sites/default/files/full_595.pdf.
- Zachry, E.M. (2009). Promising Instructional Reforms in Developmental Education: A Case Study of Three Achieving-the-Dream Colleges. New York: MDRC.
Finance
- Baum, S. & Kurose. (2012.) Community Colleges in Context: Exploring Financing of Two- and Four-Year Institutions. In The Century Foundation (eds.), Bridging the Higher Education Divide. New York, NY: The Century Foundation Press.
- Katsinas, S.G. et al. (2011). Access and Funding in Public Higher Education—the 2011 National Survey. Tuscaloosa, AL: Education Policy Center, University of Alabama.
- McKibbin, B. (2013). Financial Aid 101: A Guide to Understanding Federal Financial Aid Programs for Community College Trustees and Leaders. Washington, D.C.: Association of Community College Trustees.
- Millett, C. (2017). Designing Sustainable Funding for College Promise Initiatives. Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service.
- Schneider, M. (2017). Return on Investment: What is the Value of the Associate Degree? Washington, D.C.: Association of Community College Trustees.
Leadership/Governance
- AACC. (2013). Competencies for Community College Leaders.Washington, D.C.: American Association of Community Colleges.
- ACCT. (2016). Trusteeship 101. Washington, D.C.: Association of Community College Trustees.
- Dowdy, H.B. (1996). A Manual for Trustees: Role, Responsibilities, Relationships. Raleigh, NC: North Carolina Community College System.
- Florida College System. (2013). Florida College System Trustee Manual. Tallahassee, FL: Florida Department of Education.
- Kezar, A., and Holcombe, E. (2017). Shared Leadership in Higher Education: Important Lessons from Research and Practice. Washington, D.C.: American Council on Education.
- Wyner, J. (2013). Crisis and Opportunity: Aligning the Community College Presidency with Student Success. Retrieved from https://assets.aspeninstitute.org/content/uploads/files/content/upload/CEP_Final_Report.pdf.
Student Access and Success
- Adelman, C. (2006). The Toolbox Revisited: Paths to Degree Completion from High School Through College.Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education.
- CCCSE. (2014). A Matter of Degrees, Practices to Pathways: High Impact Practices for Community College Student Success. Austin, TX: Center for Community College Student Engagement.
- Cooper, M. (2010). Student Support Services at Community College: A Strategy for Increasing Student Persistence and Attainment. Washington: American Association of Community Colleges.
- Gault, B. & Reichlin. (2014). Student Parents and Access to Child Care at Community College. Washington, D.C.: Institute for Women’s Policy Research.
- Goldrick-Rab, S. et al. (2013). Clearing the Path to a Brighter Future: Addressing Barriers to Community College Access and Success. Washington, D.C.: Association of Community College Trustees.
- Jenkins, D., & Cho, S.W. (2012). Get With the Program: Accelerating Community College Students’ Entry into and Completion of Programs of Study. New York: Teachers College, Columbia University.
- Mullin, C.M. (2012). It’s a Matter of Time: Low Income Students and Community Colleges. Washington, D.C.: American Association of Community Colleges.
- Mullin, C.M. (2012). Why Access Matters: The Community College Student Body. Washington, D.C.: American Association of Community Colleges.
- Rothwell, J. (2017). Putting Students First: Are Associates Degrees Preparing Graduates for Successful Careers.Washington, D.C.: Association of Community College Trustees.
- St. Rose, A. & Hill, C. (2013). Women in Community Colleges. Washington, D.C.: American Association of University Women.
- Symonds, W.C. et al. (2011). Pathways to Prosperity: Meeting the Challenge of Preparing Young Americans for the 21st Century. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Teaching & Learning
- AAC&U. (2007). College Learning for the New Global Century. Liberal Education and America’s Promise. Washington, D.C.: Association of American Colleges and Universities.
- CCCSE. (2014). Notes From the Literature: Part-Time Faculty in Higher Education. Austin, TX: Center for Community College Student Engagement.
- Clark, J.E. (2010). The Digital Imperative: Making the Case for a 21st Century Pedagogy. Computers and Composition (27)1: 27-35.
Ennis-Cole, D.L. & Lawton, T.H. (2004). Teaching, Technology and Support in the New Millennium: A Guide for New Community College Teachers. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 28: 583-592 - Johnson, L. (2013). Technology Outlook for Community, Technical and Junior Colleges.Austin, TX: The New Media Consortium.
- Laitinen, A. (2012). Cracking the Credit Hour. Washington, D.C.: The New America Foundation.
- Schulman, L. (2002). From Minsk to Pinsk: Why a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. The Journal of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 1(1):48-52.
Workforce Development
- Carnevale, A.P. et al. (2010). Help Wanted: Projections of Jobs and Education Requirements through 2018. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.
- Duscha, S. & Graves, W.L. (2007). The Employer as the Client: State-Financed Customized Training. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Labor.
- Eyster, L., et al. (2013.) Innovations and Future Directions for Workforce Development in the Post-Recession Era. Washington, D.C.: The Urban Institute.
- Holzer, H. (2009). Strong Students, Strong Workers: Models for Student Success through Workforce Development and Community College Partnerships.Washington, D.C.: The Urban Institute.
- Katsinas, S.G. et al. (2012). Workforce Training in a Recovering Economy: Perceptions of Community College Leaders. Tuscaloosa, AL: Education Policy Center, University of Alabama.
- Levesque, K. et al. (2008). Career and Technical Education in the United States: 1990-2005. Washington, D.C.: National Center for Education Statistics.
- Lorenzo, G. (2013). The State of Workforce Development Initiatives at American’s Community Colleges. Retrieved from http://www.edpath.com/index_htm_files/WFDPDF.pdf.
- Van Noy, M. et al. (2008). The Landscape of Noncredit Workforce Education: State Policies and Community College Practices. New York: Community College Research Center, Columbia University.