What Excellent Community Colleges Do ― Preparing All Students for Success

In this book Wyner assesses the current state of community college education in the U.S. and presents four metrics of success. The introduction identifies shortcomings in the current system, lays out the four domains of success, and warns against some easy pitfalls in attempting to satisfy them. The four domains are then addressed in sequence. First is degree completion, framed as primarily an issue of effective advising such that students can make appropriate choices for their goals in a new context with many options. Second is achieving equity in populations that are diverse in both demographic variables and academic preparation. The third domain of learning outcomes is discussed with a focus on the role of professors in identifying and helping with learning struggles. Finally, post-college success in labor markets is evaluated, drawing attention to geographically appropriate programming and counseling in practical, non-academic skills. Each chapter draws its recommendations from examples of existing community colleges with high success in each domain. A final chapter discusses the role of the community college president in leading changes. Annotation c2014 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)